I shall seal the heavens partial
by RTWilliams
Summary: this is a copy of a translation of er gens ISSTH starts most of the way through. is only here for audio purposes.
1. Chapter 2

Chapter 1284: The Power of the Mountain and Sea Realm!

In that one astonishing moment, Han Qinglei and the other Han Clan cultivators were completely shaken. Meng Hao's gesture caused an enormous illusory hand to appear in the starry sky, stretch out to cover the entire area occupied by the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea, and then clench down viciously.

A boom could be heard, and the void shuddered. Looks of shock appeared on the faces of all the cultivators, and many of them began to scream.

Each and every one, regardless of the level of their cultivation bases, felt an intense, indescribable pressure weighing down all over, mixed in with a power of expulsion.

It was as if the starry sky had rejected them, and wished to expel them. It was as if they were being rejected... by the Mountain and Sea Realm!

The cultivators with cultivation bases lower than the Ancient Realm simply couldn't take the pressure. Screams rang out as their bodies distorted under the pressure, until they didn't even look human. Then they exploded into clouds of gore!

Next were the early Ancient Realm cultivators, who began bleeding out of their ears, eyes, noses, and mouths. After holding on for a short time, expressions of terror and despair flickered on their faces, and they were crushed to pulp.

Bitter laughter rang out, as well as angry roars and even pleas for mercy. Those came from the mid Ancient Realm cultivators. Seeing everyone around them with lower cultivation bases than themselves being crushed to bloody paste, and smelling the reek of gore, caused their hearts to explode with intense feelings of hopelessness. Many of them unleashed divine abilities or magical items. But the divine abilities were destroyed as soon as they appeared, and the magical items shattered.

These cultivators lasted for only a few breaths of time before they were crushed into a jumbled mixture of bone and bloody flesh.

Next were the late Ancient Realm cultivators and those in the great circle. Before they could flee, they were also destroyed in body and spirit. As for the three enormous spiders, cracking sounds echoed out from them, and their legs began to twist. As their bodies were squashed into indiscernible shapes, green blood sprayed out.

And last... were the three Dao Realm experts. They watched wide-eyed as the 3,000 cultivators were reduced to bloody pulp, and boundless ripples emanated out into the starry sky. They were in a hell of gore, and they started trembling and coughing up blood; they too were being crushed under the pressure.

"NO!" One of them began to laugh bitterly as he reached the point where he couldn't hold on any longer. He produced all of the magical items he possessed, and even spit an enormous bell out of his mouth as he tried to fight back. But all of his magical items were crushed, and his body began to distort.

The other two Dao Realm cultivators laughed bitterly as they chose to self-detonate. Flight was impossible, as the starry sky had already been locked down tight. There was simply no chance for them.

Rumbling filled the air as the two Dao Realm Patriarchs' power of self-detonation was overwhelmed by the gigantic hand, and then crushed.

All of this takes some while to describe, but actually happened within a few blinks of an eye. The area previously occupied by 3,000 cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea was transformed into a mist of blood as all of them were crushed to death!

Countless cultivators and magical items were squashed together along with the bodies of the spiders, forming a huge bloody paste, a swirl of green, white, and red fluid. The sight was spine-tinglingly shocking.

Han Qinglei's face was ashen, and the two Han Clan Patriarchs, despite having participated in many bloody battles, began to shiver and look over at Meng Hao with dread.

Everyone else was staring with wide eyes and open mouths. Some of the women even vomited. When they looked at Meng Hao, their eyes flickered with the fear that you might expect to see if they were staring at a fiendish, bloodthirsty beast. Meng Hao was even more terrifying than the Seventh Mountain and Sea.

"What power was that...?" Han Qinglei murmured. He looked at the horrifying bloody paste, then back at Meng Hao, and realized to his bitterness that at some point, Meng Hao had long since surpassed him. Surpassed him to the point where he could never catch up.

"The power of the Mountain and Sea Realm," Meng Hao said quietly. Ever since entering the Ancient Realm and igniting his Paragon Soul Lamp, it had become much easier for him to sense the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Before, he had been forced to stimulate the Paragon's blood inside of him to summon the power of the sun and moon. Now, he didn't need to do that. A mere thought on his part could unleash the power of the Mountains and Seas.

Although he couldn't use much, he was certain that as his cultivation base grew, and more importantly, as his Demon Sealer's aura grew stronger, the day would come when a single thought on his part could determine whether the entire Mountain and Sea Realm would continue to exist.

That was because he was... the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, and also... the Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm!

Meng Hao smiled at Han Qinglei and said, "Brother Han, welcome to the Meng Clan. You'll be safe here. Please, follow me!"

Mixed emotions could be seen in Han Qinglei's eyes. After a moment, he clasped hands and bowed deeply to Meng Hao, then followed him, along with the rest of the Han Clan cultivators, back to the Meng Clan ancestral mansion. After formally meeting Grandma Meng, the survivors from the Han Clan were given some land in the ancestral mansion on the central continent, a place where they could multiply and rebuild.

In the following days, Meng Hao spent most of his time cultivating in the huge statue, although he would occasionally visit Han Qinglei to reminisce about old times.

The land that had been given to the Han Clan had an frosty lake in it, which was filled with Jadefrost Fish. Jadefrost Fish happened to have a lovely flavor that Meng Hao fell in love with as soon as he tasted it, so he often spent time at that lake, fishing with Han Qinglei.

It was a quiet respite from the brutal war which was being fought outside in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Han Qinglei often grew absent-minded, and sometimes even forgot about the war outside.

"Brother Meng, mm... with the level of your cultivation base, why is it that you're not helping the Eighth Mountain and Sea drive out the invaders from the Seventh Mountain and Sea?" It was a question Han Qinglei had pondered for some time, and had been refraining from asking for many days. But one day, as he sat next to the frosty lake with Meng Hao, fishing, he finally gave voice to it.

Meng Hao didn't answer at first. He jerked on his line that had been cast out into the lake, and immediately a large, jade-colored fish was yanked out of the water. He reeled it in, and it turned out to be well over a meter long. He pointed at it, whereupon a nearby Meng Clan cultivator approached and wrestled with the struggling fish, pinning it to the ground and then placing it into the fish basket.

"Brother Han," he said quietly, "this war... is not going to end. Furthermore, even if the Seventh Mountain and Sea hadn't made a move, one of the other Mountains and Seas would have..." After entering the Ancient Realm, something had changed about Meng Hao's voice, and it somehow seemed more ancient.

He sighed and looked up into the sky, toward the border of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the 33 Heavens. "I'll make my move, but now is not the time.

"Did you ever notice that the starry sky seems to have a lid covering it? And that that ceiling is slowly getting closer?" Meng Hao's words caused Han Qinglei to gape in surprise. He suddenly looked up into the boundless sky, and the endless stars, and began to breathe deeply.

"You mean... the 33 Heavens?!"

After a quiet moment passed, Meng Hao looked out at the frosty pond and calmly said, "I'm afraid that before too long, the 33 Heavens will likely descend."

Han Qinglei's face fell. He had been among the group that had gone to the Windswept Realm as Meng Hao had. He clearly remembered what the 33 Heavens represented, and knew that there were terrifyingly powerful experts there.

"Well... what are we going to do?" Han Qinglei asked bitterly. Before, he had taken the invasion of the Seventh Mountain and Sea to be some shocking and profound thing. But now he realized that it was merely a prelude. And yet, the Han Clan had almost been wiped away in that mere prelude, a prelude that to him already felt like the end of days. If war broke out with the 33 Heavens... then he wasn't sure what he should do. He stared out into space, completely at a loss.

Meng Hao looked over at Han Qinglei, and then, his expression completely earnest and serious, said, "Get stronger! It doesn't matter what war we're talking about, the invasion of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, war with other Mountains and Seas, or even the arrival of the 33 Heavens. Even... the return of the two powers who destroyed the Paragon Immortal Realm oh so long ago. What you need to do in any and all cases... is get stronger!

"War cannot be avoided. Perhaps paradise exists somewhere, but definitely not in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

"The true war will come sooner or later. And we will all be fighting in it." Meng Hao's eyes slowly began to shine with a brilliant light. Finally, he tapped his finger down onto the ground, causing a ripple to spread out and eventually fill the entire continent.

It was something he had done frequently in the past months. Even when he was in secluded meditation, he had often sent his divine sense out, fusing his cultivation base with the lands, outlining an enormous spell formation.

Meng Hao didn't actually know much about spell formations. However, the particulars of this underground spell formation wasn't what was important, what was important was that the power that formed the framework of that formation was Meng Hao's... power of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

"Almost finished," he murmured to himself.

Han Qinglei sat there silently, with a bitter look on his face.

"I still don't understand, though," he said finally. "You could do something in the war right now. With your cultivation base, you could stop it! If fewer people died, then the Mountain and Sea Realm would be more powerful in the future!

"Furthermore, right now there are enemies lying in wait for us on the Outside, and yet we're at war amongst ourselves. There's no point in fighting among ourselves!"

Meng Hao was silent for a moment, then finally said, "It's not the right time. The right time is coming. Soon."

He actually didn't explain the reason why he was not fighting in the war.

Only he knew that the reason he wasn't fighting was because... he wasn't alone here in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. He had the Meng Clan to look after.

Even if he didn't care much about all the other members of the Meng Clan, he cared about his grandmother. And his grandmother and her people cared about the clan in general. If Meng Hao went out and fought in the resistance against the Seventh Mountain and Sea, he would definitely suffer retribution at their hands. And in the end... he was only one person.

In the end, he could choose to defend against the Seventh Mountain and Sea's retaliation, or to escape , but the Meng Clan could not make that choice. As long as the Meng Clan existed, if Meng Hao stepped in... then the clan would be dragged into the conflict and be exterminated.

That was why he had not stepped in, and the Seventh Mountain and Sea surely realized that. Therefore... that was why they had chosen not to provoke him, and why he and they had been able to maintain a sort of fragile impasse.


	2. Chapter 3

Meng Hao might be the future Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm, but as far as he was concerned, the Heavengod Alliance wasn't very important. They had even tried to track him down and kill him, so in some respects, they even counted as an enemy.

In fact, were it not for the invasion of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, after Meng Hao's identity was revealed within the Meng Clan, perhaps the Heavengod Alliance would have besieged them.

Whatever happened, Meng Hao didn't have strong feelings for this place. After all... it wasn't the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

And yet... there was someone in the Heavengod Alliance that he cared about, his Master the Noble Ran, who had passed the Seal the Heavens Incantation on to him. Furthermore, after entering the Ancient Realm, he had begun to vaguely sense certain fluctuations from the Eighth Mountain, which he knew belonged to the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

Those fluctuations seemed very familiar, and in fact reminded him of... the aura on his Grandpa Meng's command medallion, which was tucked away safely in his bag of holding.

He hadn't mentioned any of those things to his grandmother, because he actually did plan to eventually fight in the war, both for the Noble Ran, and for... those familiar fluctuations he felt coming from the Eighth Mountain.

Because of those things, he felt that he had no choice but to join the war effort.

However, before he jumped into the fray, he needed to make sure that there was nothing that could be used against him. That was why, for the preceding two months, he had been constantly pouring power from the Mountains and Seas into the ground, to make... a spell formation!

Of course, all of these were things that Han Qinglei would have no way of knowing.

Meng Hao didn't want the Meng Clan to become... the next Han Clan. He didn't want his grandmother to worry about such things either, nor did he want her to feel the pain of seeing fellow clan members die. Most importantly, he didn't want to see her hurt even a tiny bit.

His Grandma Meng was a relative, one of the people he cared most about in the world.

"Soon. The spell formation will be finished soon," he murmured to himself, looking out into the sky.

Another half a month passed, during which the war in the Eighth Mountain and Sea intensified. Reports came in on a daily basis from various members of the Meng Clan, each of which Meng Hao studied in minute detail.

The Heavengod Alliance had finally begun a counteroffensive... which was still under way. Both sides were taking heavy casualties.

One of the most important bits of news was that among those killed were not just 1-Essence or 2-Essences Dao Realm experts. There were already Dao Lords among the dead.

Many of the sects in the Heavengod Alliance were no more. One planet after another was destroyed. If the Heavengod Alliance met complete defeat, then the remaining cultivators would have no choice but to fall back to the Eighth Mountain itself.

Recently, more and more voices were pleading for the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea to come out.

Unfortunately... he never appeared.

The only people who did appear were cultivators of the Heavengod Society. In fact, the Chief Dharma Protector of the Heavengod Society convened a war council to coordinate the fighting.

The number of cultivators coming through the rift from the Seventh Mountain and Sea was growing increasingly fewer. However, there was a burning life force within that rift that even Meng Hao could sense from his position in the Meng Clan, and it was growing more and more distinct.

It was a vigorous life force, a flame that could light up the entire starry sky. And it was slowly getting closer to the Eighth Mountain and Sea. It belonged to an entity who occupied a position of supreme power, and had a terrifying cultivation base. Because of that, passing from one of the Mountains and Seas to another was a slow process for this person.

That person was none other than... Sima Dao, Mountain and Sea Lord from the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

Meng Hao could sense him just as much as he could sense that awakening entity on the Eighth Mountain.

Simultaneously, both that entity and Sima Dao could sense the existence of the person entrenched in the Meng Clan... Meng Hao!

Three days later, Meng Hao's eyes snapped open, and at the same time, the surrounding nine continents of the Meng Clan began to emit droning sounds that sounded like earthquakes, as if some incredible power were rising up from the lands.

It was a big shock to all members of the Meng Clan, and no one had any idea what was happening, not even the five Dao Realm Patriarchs, who immediately sent divine sense out.

What they discovered shocked them; the nine continents were filled with a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering power, a power which was building up toward an inevitable eruption.

"Is the Seventh Mountain and Sea coming!?"

"What's going on!?" Everyone in the Meng Clan was astonished, including Han Qinglei and his people.

As the alarm spread, Meng Hao emerged from secluded meditation and appeared within the ancestral mansion, in his grandmother's courtyard. The moment he appeared there, his grandmother walked out, looking quite apprehensive.

"Hao'er, what's happening?" she asked. In the recent days, she had been administering affairs in the Meng Clan, and had transformed them into a clenched fist; they were no longer in a state of disorganized chaos like before.

Now that Meng Hao had come out, the five Patriarchs hurried over, along with other powerful experts from the various bloodlines.

Han Qinglei wasn't a member of the Meng Clan, but because of his relationship with Meng Hao, the Han Clan wasn't excluded, and they also hastened over to Meng Hao.

Meng Hao looked around at everyone, then finally turned to his grandmother, clasped hands and bowed deeply.

After Grandma Meng saw the complex expression in his eyes, she understood what he was thinking, and she shivered. "Hao'er, you..."

Meng Hao looked up at his grandmother and began to speak softly, "Grandma Meng, I failed to comply with one of your previous orders, and took it upon myself to take care of a certain matter.

"The Eighth Mountain and Sea has been struck with war. It's a war that I normally wouldn't fight in. I would rather stay here to protect the Meng Clan. However... because of a certain person, I must intervene.

"However, if I do fight in this war between two great Mountains and Seas, then the Meng Clan will also get dragged into the matter, and could end up being wiped out by the Seventh Mountain and Sea...

"Grandma Meng..."

Grandma Meng looked at him silently for a moment, then sighed softly. How could she not have come to realize what had been going through Meng Hao's mind lately? She actually had no desire to see him fighting in the Mountain and Sea War either. He might be very powerful, but in her eyes, he was still only a member of the Junior generation.

It might be a selfish decision to ask him not to fight, but to Grandma Meng, family was more important than politics, and the Meng Clan was more important than the Eighth Mountain and Sea. However, she had overlooked his feelings in the matter, and therefore, after another long moment passed, she spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse, "I understand. You... already made your decision. If you want to go, then go. Can I help in any way?"

Somehow, Grandma Meng seemed much older after those words left her mouth.

Meng Hao looked at her for a moment. Then, smiling slightly, he stepped forward and embraced her.

"Grandma," he said softly, "I want to send the Meng Clan to the Ninth Mountain and Sea. There is no war there yet, so all of you will be safe."

Grandma Meng was quiet for a moment, then slowly nodded. At the same time, she reached out with her wrinkled hand and gently stroked Meng Hao's cheek, her eyes glowing with love. "You're a good kid. You've done so much for me already. Perhaps my previous decision was a bit selfish. But… you have to promise me that you'll stay safe..."

Meng Hao nodded, then looked back at the others present, and his face darkened a bit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to send all of you to the Ninth Mountain and Sea. Let me remind you, though, that as long as I live, if you dare to harbor any evil thoughts regarding the people I care about... you will regret it."

Meng Hao's words caused everyone to suck in a deep breath, even the five Dao Realm Patriarchs. Although they were struck deeply with fear, they were also quite moved by the fact that Meng Hao planned to send them to safety in the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"Brother Han, how about the Han Clan go to the Ninth Mountain and Sea. What do you say?"

Han Qinglei's jaw dropped in response to Meng Hao's words. All of a sudden, he understood what Meng Hao had said half a month before about waiting for the right time to fight in the war.

It wasn't that he planned to hold back forever. He really was... waiting for the right time. And that time... was now.

"Many thanks!" Han Qinglei said, clasping hands and bowing deeply. For the Han Clan, the chance to go to the Ninth Mountain and Sea was an amazing opportunity. After all, they were no longer in a position to fight in the war.

Of course, it was difficult enough for one person to pass between two Mountains and Seas, let alone an entire continent and all its people like Meng Hao claimed he would do. Everyone was completely shocked.

"It doesn't seem possible! That's a huge amount of people, plus a continent. This..."

"Piercing through will expend an incredible amount of power. In fact, it's incalculable!"

"The Ninth Mountain and Sea..."

Everyone looked at Meng Hao with even more alarm than before. If Meng Hao really could do as he said he would, then he would be even more awe-inspiring to them than he already was.

As long as he was alive, no one would ever dare to challenge his grandmother's position or authority.

Meng Hao looked over the crowd for a moment, then took a deep breath and raised both hands into the air. In almost the exact same instant, the power of the Mountains and Seas exploded out from within him. It was as if a fuse had been lit, which resulted in an enormous pillar of light shining up from one of the nine smaller continents. It shot up into the starry sky, sending out boundless ripples.

Next, a second continent exploded with light, then a third and a fourth...

Pillars of light shot up from one continent after another, radiating intense power from the Mountain and Sea Realm, power that Meng Hao had been building up for months. Obviously, he didn't have the power on his own to send a whole continent of people to the Ninth Mountain and Sea, so he had chosen to use the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm to accomplish that task.

Even with that extra help, he had spent months in preparation, so it was possible to imagine how much of a price the Seventh Mountain and Sea must have paid to invade the Eighth.

Almost in the same instant that Meng Hao unleashed the power of the Mountains and Seas, as the pillars of light shot up into the starry sky, suddenly, tens of thousands of cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea appeared, radiating killing intent.

The person in the lead position was a middle-aged man... the same man whose son Meng Hao had killed... Marquis Lu of the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

The man's face was grim, and his murderous aura seethed. As he closed in on the Meng Clan, he spotted the distant pillars of light.

"You killed my son, so I'll wipe out your whole clan! I don't care what a whit about the orders of the Mountain and Sea Lord. He might have let you off the hook because of your friendship, but… you should never have provoked me!"

Chapter 1285: The Spell Formation Stirs!


	3. Chapter 4

Chapter 1286: Seeing the Meng Clan Off!

Nine pillars of light shot up from the nine continents surrounding the Meng Clan ancestral mansion. As they pierced into the starry sky, they sent out boundless ripples, causing everything to shake.

When Marquis Lu and the others arrived, it was as the eighth pillar of light exploded up.

"This..." Marquis Lu gaped in shock, his eyes wide. Considering the level of his cultivation base, after examining the situation, he could sense the terrifying power within those pillars of light.

Marquis Lu's eyes glittered as he glanced down at a totem tattoo on the back of his right hand. Steeling himself, he gave a cold snort and then waved his sleeve. With that, he shot forward, followed by tens of thousands of cultivators. The entire army transformed into beams of light that shot toward the Meng Clan.

As they closed in, the murderous aura they emitted caused the starry sky to shake. The aura was so intense that it seemed as if it were on the verge of taking physical form and freezing everything in the area.

"Meng Clan, whichever one of you killed my son, get the hell out here and face me!" Marquis Lu's voice boomed like thunder, echoing out in all directions as his energy rocketed up. His cultivation base was that of a 4-Essences Dao Sovereign, and as soon as it radiated out, the natural laws in the area shattered.

By this point, the people in the Meng Clan ancestral mansion could hear his roar, and could sense the vast coldness. Their faces flickered.

Meng Hao's expression was as calm as ever as he looked into the starry sky outside of the Meng Clan continents, then turned his attention back to what he was doing. His hands remained lifted up, and a strange gleam could be seen in his eyes as he manipulated the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Nine pillars of light raged up into the starry sky. In that moment, a gigantic vortex appeared in the sky above the Meng Clan ancestral mansion, far, far above, at the apex of the pillars of light.

The vortex was vastly enormous, and was already beginning to spin faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, boundless rumbling sounds could be heard echoing out, and a vast pressure began to weigh down.

Marquis Lu's face flickered, and he lurched to a halt, as did all the cultivators behind him. Then their eyes filled with shock as they saw the terrifying vortex appear overhead.

"What are they doing?!"

"What kind of spell formation is that?" The pressure weighing down on the group was completely shocking. It was almost as if there were some huge, invisible hand pushing them inexorably backward. Soon, the vortex was spinning so fast it looked like a black hole, sending out powerful ripples that the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea couldn't endure, forcing them backward.

Gradually, even Marquis Lu was affected by the pressure. Considering the level of his cultivation base, he was the last one to finally be pushed back, accompanied by massive rumbling sounds.

Meng Hao floated up into the air above the Meng Clan continents, out into the starry sky where he looked back down at everyone, and especially his grandmother.

Then his right hand flashed with an incantation gesture, and he waved his finger.

That wave of a finger caused one of the nine continents surrounding the Meng Clan ancestral mansion to shatter into pieces, transforming into nothing but dust. Then, the pillar of light which had been attached to that continent exploded into countless motes, which then began to rise up into the vortex.

RUMBLE!

The vortex spun faster and faster, and the power and pressure within it grew more intense, causing Marquis Lu's face to fall.

Next, the second continent exploded, then the third and fourth. They all transformed into ash, and the pillars of light attached to them turned into motes which were sucked into the vortex.

The pressure from the vortex increased again, and Marquis Lu was shoved backward, as were all of the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea behind him.

"This..." Marquis Lu's throat and tongue were dry. As he stared at the shocking vortex, he suddenly realized what it most likely was, although that seemed impossible.

RUMBLE!

The fifth continent fell to pieces, then the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth. The pillars of light shattered, sending countless motes of light up into the air; the pressure from the vortex increased dramatically yet again.

Now, the only thing that remained of the Meng Clan was the ancestral mansion and the continent upon which it stood. The members of the Meng Clan felt their hearts pounding; the terrifying vortex caused their minds to reel until they went blank.

Even the five Dao Realm Patriarchs were shocked, and felt their hearts thumping.

It was at this point that Meng Hao's eyes began to glow. He performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, then waved his finger toward the final main continent.

"Open the path between the Mountains and Seas!" Meng Hao's voice echoed out, causing wild colors to flash in the sky. The ash from all of the continents mixed with the motes of light and began to swirl together into the huge black hole.

In the blink of an eye, the black hole had absorbed the power of all of the continents, and all of their combined power from the Mountain and Sea Realm. As it did, it reached what seemed to be its maximum capacity, so when Meng Hao issued the order, the vortex exploded with an indescribable, shocking aura.

The intensity of that aura caused the minds of all living creatures to tremble, and their souls to shiver. Off in distance, Marquis Lu was staring at the black hole, and the huge beam of light which had just appeared within it.

That light... moved with indescribable speed as it stretched out across the starry sky toward the barrier between the Eighth and Ninth Mountains and Seas, where it then ripped open a rift!

This was an even more shocking scene than the one which had played out when the Three Great Daoist Societies created the Bridge of Immortality.

It was an amazing sight as the beam of light pierced through the barrier, going directly... from the Eighth Mountain and Sea to the Ninth.

In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the entire starry sky lit up, and the cultivators there looked up and trembled. Regardless of whether it was the Fang Clan or the other sects and clans, everyone had the same reaction.

"What's happening!?'

"What... what is that?!"

"What's that light? It looks like... maybe some kind of valuable treasure is appearing?" A buzz of conversation filled virtually all locations within the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

However, it was at this point that in the Fang clan, there were some, including Fang Xiufeng, as well as the Grand Elder and certain others, who could tell that within that light... was a bit of Meng Hao's aura!

Back in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, Marquis Lu saw all of this happen. Falling back again, he looked blankly at the black hole vortex, and the beam of light.

"H-he ...opened t-the... the barrier... between the Mountains and Seas. His plan is to send the Meng Clan's continents and clan members all the way to the Ninth Mountain and Sea." With his cultivation base and powers of discernment, Marquis Lu was completely shaken by Meng Hao's tactics and abilities, and his mind was left reeling.

He was well aware of the enormous cost that was required to open the barrier between Mountains and Seas. The Seventh Mountain and Sea had prepared for an incredibly long time, and had paid an astonishing price, to tear open that rift. But here Marquis Lu was, watching Meng Hao do exactly that same thing all on his own. How could he not be shocked?

Meng Hao looked up at the black hole and the beam of light. Then he spread both hands wide and roared. Instantly, the Meng Clan's entire ancestral mansion and the continent it was on rumbled up into the air. It was as if a giant were shouldering it… hoisting it directly toward the vortex.

Dust flew about, and everything quaked. Meng Hao was completely focused on the Meng Clan ancestral mansion as it rose higher and higher, drawing ever closer to the vortex.

Soon, it was just on the verge of reaching the vortex, and then Meng Hao murmured, "Grandma, please get there safe and sound."

With that, the Meng Clan ancestral mansion sank into the vortex, which seemingly gobbled it up. In the blink of an eye, the black hole vanished into the beam of light.

The beam connecting the two Mountains and Seas then began to vanish, starting from the side in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Or perhaps it wasn't vanishing, but disappearing into the distance!

It was soon gone from the Eighth Mountain and Sea, and appeared in the Ninth Mountain and Sea. There, the starry sky rumbled, and the void distorted.

Meng Hao had successfully sent the Meng Clan off.

The Meng Clan used to reside in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, but now, nothing remained behind. The starry sky quieted, and the ripples faded away. Meng Hao hovered there alone, looking off in the direction of the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

Further away in the distance, Marquis Lu hovered there in shock. At some point, he had begun to sweat, and he suddenly realized that in trying to wipe out the Meng Clan, he had been courting death.

Now he realized why his Mountain and Sea Lord had issued orders not to provoke the Meng Clan. It wasn't because he and Meng Hao were friends. No, it was because... he truly didn't want to provoke them!

That was because, hidden in the Meng Clan, there was a supreme entity, a powerful expert who was so strong... that even Marquis Lu knew he didn't dare to trifle with him.

He had... power to open the barrier between Mountains and Seas, to send an entire continent of clan members all the way to another Mountain and Sea. He was... a shocking, almighty expert.

"Retreat!" he said without any hesitation. Then he flickered into motion, followed by the other cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, whose murderous aura had transformed into expressions of astonishment.

They didn't care about the fact that they were running away with their tails between their legs.

Anybody could tell that whatever fetters had been holding this consummately powerful expert back... were now gone.

It was as if a ravenous primordial beast had suddenly been uncaged!

Rumbling could be heard as the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea retreated en masse. However, in that exact same moment, Meng Hao looked away from the Ninth Mountain and Sea, turning so that his gaze fell upon... the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea.

"You just showed up," he said calmly, "don't run away yet!"


	4. Chapter 5

As soon as the words left his mouth, the starry sky grew incredibly cold, as if invisible ice was spreading out rapidly in all directions. Wherever it passed, the fleeing cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea were filled with intense coldness, causing their souls to tremble.

Now that he didn't have to worry about the Meng Clan, Meng Hao turned to look at the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea, and his killing intent exploded out. He actually didn't have any personal vendetta with these people, and in fact, as the future Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm, it would probably be appropriate to let them off a bit lightly, and not kill them all.

After all, there was a greater war coming, and the stronger the Mountain and Sea Realm was in general, the better. However, despite being aware of that, Meng Hao didn't choose that course of action.

He was not a hero or a leader, he was just an ordinary cultivator, a former scholar who had always dreamed of being rich.

Had they not provoked him, he could have let things drop. But they had attempted to exterminate the Meng Clan, which was something he couldn't tolerate. In fact, he didn't even want to tolerate it.

He snorted coldly and took a step forward. When his foot fell, an incredible pressure began to weigh down, covering the entire area in the blink of an eye.

Rumbling sounds could be heard, as if there were invisible collisions up in the starry sky. The thousands of cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea all coughed up huge mouthfuls of blood, and expressions of complete astonishment and terror covered their faces.

None of them dared to fight back. They remained in place, trembling and looking with terror at Meng Hao, not even daring to make the slightest of movements, let alone flee.

Marquis Lu's face fell, but then he gritted his teeth, causing violet light to radiate out from him. It quickly enveloped him, whereupon he burst into movement, apparently intending to break out from the pressure crushing down from Meng Hao.

"Did I say you could leave?!" Meng Hao said coolly. He took another step forward, vanishing, then reappearing directly in front of Marquis Lu. He waved his hand.

RUMBLE!

An incredible force exploded out from Meng Hao, which transformed into a tempest. When it slammed into Marquis Lu, blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he tumbled backward like a kite with its string cut. A fierce expression could be seen on his face as he managed to stop in place, then glared at Meng Hao, flames of madness dancing in his eyes.

"I'm one of the three Marquis of the Seventh Mountain, Lu Yunli!" he shrieked. "If you dare to harm me, the Seventh Mountain will hunt you down and kill you, no matter where you run to!"

Meng Hao's only response was to take a third step forward, and then unleash the Life-Extermination Fist, shooting forward and slamming his fist into Marquis Lu's chest.

A boom echoed out as Marquis Lu's chest caved in, causing blood to spray out as he fell back. Cracking sounds could even be heard as a layer of magical cloth armor, which had previously been invisible, shattered.

That was one of his life-saving magical items, something which had enabled him to sweep unrivalled across the battlefield when fighting the Heavengod Alliance. He had even relied on it to kill some of the Dao Realm experts of the Eighth Mountain and Sea. And yet, Meng Hao shattered it with a single blow.

"All of you, attack immediately! Kill him!" Marquis Lu cried urgently, face ashen. The other cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea around him hesitated, but about a thousand of them gritted their teeth and charged forward. They quickly formed into groups of nine, arranging themselves in special formation. Those spell formations then grouped into nines to create a grand spell formation!

Rumbling could be heard as dozens of spell formations appeared in the starry sky, which then shot toward Meng Hao. Brilliant lights flashed, and the ripples of divine abilities spread out. However, Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever as he made a grasping motion, which tore a rift open. The Blood Demon roared out, instantly charging toward the spell formations. Surrounded by the sounds of explosions, Meng Hao pierced through the spell formations and began to chase down Marquis Lu.

Madness could be seen in Marquis Lu's eyes. The fact that Meng Hao could simply disregard the spell formations caused that madness to grow more intense. Throwing caution to the wind, he threw his head back and roared.

"You made me do this!" he roared, extending his hand and causing the totem tattoo there to radiate violet light. It grew more and more intense, and in the blink of an eye, violet qi suddenly began to swirl around. Astonishingly, it transformed into... an enormous head.

It had eight horns on its head, its skin was greenish-black, and its face resembled that of a human. As soon as it appeared, a shocking energy burst out, causing the starry sky to tremble. Furthermore... the face emanated an aura that was not of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

It was... an Outsider!

An Outsider from the 33 Heavens!

As soon as Meng Hao saw it, he could tell where it came from. At the same time, he could sense the Mountain and Sea Realm stirring with hatred, with the desire to destroy Outsiders, to destroy anything with that blood running through their veins.

The Outsider threw its head back and roared, causing the starry sky to shatter, and a massive tempest to spring up and spin toward Meng Hao. Simultaneously, the head shot away from Marquis Lu's hand and headed toward Meng Hao as if to consume him.

"DIE!" screamed Marquis Lu, his face twisted with madness. This was his trump card, something that sucked away at his longevity every time he used it, forcing him to be very cautious about how he utilized it. It was also the entire reason he had charged into the Meng Clan's territory with complete disregard for Meng Hao.

In his mind, the totem tattoo essentially made him invincible to 4-Essences enemies, and enabled him to fight it out with 5-Essences cultivators. In fact, during the fighting against the Heavengod Alliance, he had even fought to a draw with the Heavengod Alliance's Chief Dharma Protector.

Because of that, he was incredibly confident, and his killing intent was currently surging. Now that he had sent the enormous head against Meng Hao, he was sure that Meng Hao was as good as dead.

"This totem tattoo is a precious treasure that my Mountain and Sea Lord bestowed upon me. It draws upon the soul of a Heavenly Devil from the Outside world and gives me the power to fight against five Essences! It doesn't matter who you are, you're DEAD!

"After you're dead, the rest of the Eighth Mountain and Sea will accompany you to the Yellow Springs, and the Meng Clan that escaped to the Ninth Mountain and Sea will still be exterminated. Even the Ninth Mountain and Sea will be destroyed!

"In the coming war, nobody will be safe. You're dead no matter what!" Marquis Lu threw his head back and roared madly, drawing upon his longevity to power the totem. Stabbing pain filled his mind, making him go even crazier, to the point where he began to lose his grip on consciousness.

And yet he still maintained control. Performing an incantation gesture, he made the gigantic Outsider's mouth open wide. Its eyes shone with a red light as it made to devour Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's eyes flickered, and he snorted coldly. As the Outsider's head closed in on him, he extended his hand and pointed at it.

It was none other than the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

Meng Hao had known that his Demon Sealing Hexing magic was especially effective on Outsiders. As soon as he finished waving his finger, he waved it again to unleash the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex. Then came the Sixth Hex and the Fifth Hex.

Four waves of a finger caused the Outsider to scream miserably. Black mist began to roil out from inside of it, as it twisted and distorted, howling, "Nine... Seals... Hexing... Magic... DAMMIT!"

It began to corrode, sending black mist out in all directions. Marquis Lu was shaking, and began to wither as his longevity was rapidly sucked away. However, instead of fleeing, he charged Meng Hao, face twisted with madness.

"Well, aren't you interesting," Meng Hao said, eyes flickering. He then reached out and made a grasping motion, but instead of utilizing the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm he unleashed the Star Plucking Magic.

His Ancient Mana flowed, and his 33 Soul Lamps burned brightly. Combining the power of his fleshly body with that of his cultivation base caused Meng Hao to explode with battle prowess equivalent to five Essences, and that was without the power of the Mountains and Seas!

It was... a terrifying power that was second only to that of a Mountain and Sea Lord. Rumbling could be heard as the Outsider screamed, its face twisting as it sped uncontrollably toward Meng Hao.

If Meng Hao managed to grab it, then he would have the soul's life or death within his control. However the face suddenly screamed and began to turn blurry; apparently, it had chosen to self-detonate.

As the face exploded, it used that power to break free, blocking the hand of the Star Plucking Magic and simultaneously transforming into a stream of black mist that began to shoot back toward Marquis Lu.

Meng Hao swished his sleeve, causing a tempest to spring up. The power of the self-detonation instantly faded away, and Meng Hao took a step forward toward the black mist.

The black mist moved so fast that Marquis Lu didn't have any time to react. It streamed into his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, causing him to tremble and then let out a bloodcurdling scream, as if he were being possessed.

Meng Hao's eyes glittered coldly as he closed in. He was just about to perform an incantation gesture when Marquis Lu, face covered in black mist, let out an insane howl.

His energy then spiked, and his skin began to turn green and sprout scales. His head split open as eight horns grew out. Furthermore, his lips split in half so that his mouth was in the shape of a cross. In the blink of an eye, he grew to a height of thirty meters.

Vicious-looking spikes even pierced out through his clothing. Shockingly, what was standing in front of Meng Hao now was no longer a cultivator, but a humanoid beast!

It was... an Outsider!

The faces of the other cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea fell, and they began to back up. Clearly, even they had not known the true origin of Marquis Lu's totem tattoo.

There were only a few dozen whose faces flickered with what seemed to be panic, but which Meng Hao saw through to the zeal and devotion toward this version of Marquis Lu that was hidden beneath.

"You're dead! DEAD, I tell you!" The beast-form of Marquis Lu threw his head back and howled, causing his energy to rise higher and higher. Then, his eyes turned red, and he seemingly lost all control of himself, descending fully into madness as he charged Meng Hao.

Chapter 1287: Outsider!


	5. Chapter 6

Chapter 1288: Seizing All Opportunities!

In almost the same instant in which Marquis Lu turned into a beast, Meng Hao could sense a rage welling up from the Mountain and Sea Realm, which grew clearer by the second. It would be impossible for others to sense how intense it was, or perhaps they would even believe it to be a figment of their imagination, but in any case, it affected people subconsciously, filling them with a loathing toward Outsiders.

Of course, Meng Hao could plainly detect this rage, which filled him with the desire to slaughter this Outsider. At the same time, he could sense the fluctuations of the Outsider's actual body, which were coming from... the 33 Heavens beyond the starry sky.

"The rage of the Mountain and Sea Realm, huh?" Meng Hao looked at the roaring Outsider, whose surging cultivation base exceeded that of the 5-Essences Xiao Yihan. "It's a possession, and at the same time, not a possession... It's the projected image of a powerful expert from outside in the 33 Heavens, which possessed Marquis Lu. However, the reason it was able to possess him so quickly was that he's actually been this thing's host body for quite some time already." Meng Hao's eyes flickered as he advanced, using the power of his fleshly body to slam into the Outsider.

A boom rang out, and then they separated. Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth, and it was the same with the Outsider. Furthermore, the Outsider's chest had caved in, and was leaking violet blood.

"A powerful fleshly body. However, this is only a portion of the power of the Outsider's real body... Now that I think about it, whichever Outsider in the 33 Heavens is controlling this thing must be someone famous." Meng Hao's eyes glittered. Performing an incantation gesture, he sent the Essence of Divine Flame exploding out, instantly enveloping the Outsider.

The Outsider roared, causing numerous huge wooden logs to appear, the surfaces of which were carved with mysterious magical symbols. The logs also erupted with Essence power as they shot to meet Meng Hao's Essence of Divine Flame.

After a moment of thought, Meng Hao waved his hand, causing the Divine Flame to dissipate. Then he performed an incantation gesture and pointed out with his finger. Instantly, numerous mountains began to descend. Meng Hao didn't stop moving, though; he unleashed one magical technique after another, all of which slammed into the Outsider, as he attempted to get a better understanding of its body and cultivation base.

The Outsider roared under the bombardment of divine abilities. Then its eyes flickered and it extended its hand toward Meng Hao, making a grasping gesture. That gesture caused Meng Hao's heart to tremble, and he suddenly vanished. A moment later, the spot that he had occupied collapsed under a sudden onslaught of flame lightning.

That wasn't the end of it though. Even as Meng Hao reappeared off in the distance, the Outsider's eyes flickered with killing intent, and it threw its head back and roared, splaying its hands wide above its head, almost as if it were worshipping the sky above.

It was at this point that the starry sky began to tremble, and an aura which clearly did not come from the Mountain and Sea Realm began to spread out in all directions. The aura then began to congeal and take shape into the form... of a gigantic basilisk lizard!

It was fully 30,000 meters long and had towering energy. Meng Hao could sense the killing intent of the Mountain and Sea Realm explode to new heights. However, for some reason, it was being suppressed, and was unable to be released. It did not provoke the same type of transformations that had occurred in the Mountains and Seas when the Outsider appeared back in the Ruins of Immortality.

"True self, obliterate!" the Outsider roared. The scales on its body shattered, causing blood to spray out. The blood then shot out into the void, and in the blink of an eye, converged onto the right eye of the shocking basilisk. That scarlet-colored eye appeared to gleam with intelligence.

The eye turned to look at Meng Hao, filling his mind with intense pressure that caused his face to flicker.

"Paragon... Not 9-Essences, but at least 7-Essences," he thought, shaken. A sensation of deadly crisis rose up, and his eyes flickered. He then made a grasping motion, summoning the power of the Mountains and Seas to defend himself.

It was at that point that a red beam shot out from the lizard's eye, filled with terrifying destructive power. It shot directly toward Meng Hao, slamming into the converged power of the Mountains and Seas.

Rumbling echoed out as terrifying ripples spread out from the red beam. The power of the Mountains and Seas faded away, and the red glow in the huge basilisk's right eye faded away.

Meng Hao waved his right hand, summoning the Paragon Bridge, which rumbled down to smash onto the body of the basilisk. As his battle prowess erupted, he waved his right finger through the air, causing the power of the Mountains and Seas to slash into the Outsider, sending blood spraying about everywhere.

That wave of a finger caused the starry sky to tremble. Marquis Lu, in the form of an Outsider, trembled and then let out a bloodcurdling scream. Performing an incantation gesture, he unleashed all of the power he could to fight back. However, a moment later, what seemed to be an enormous invisible finger appeared, apparently converged from the power of the Mountains and Seas, which pressed down onto him.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he fell back, his arms shattered, his chest caved in, exploding in a mass of blood and gore. As for the basilisk projection, it was crushed by the Paragon Bridge, and began to howl as it faded away.

"It would be a real pity to let you die like this," Meng Hao said. Even as Marquis Lu in Outsider-form began to collapse into pieces, Meng Hao appeared next to him and reached out to grab the top of his shattering head. It was a Soulsearch!

However, what he was Soulsearching was not just Marquis Lu's soul. Rather, he was also using it as a bridge... to connect to the soul of the almighty expert above in the 33 Heavens.

That expert might be a Paragon, but Meng Hao would still perform the Soulsearch anyway. He wanted to know... exactly how much of a difference there was between his divine sense and that of a Paragon!

RUMBLE!

Marquis Lu's head trembled, and his eyes were fixed on Meng Hao. As of that moment, Meng Hao could see all of his memories, and at the same time, he could sense a faint and fraying thread connecting Marquis Lu to the 33 Heavens above the starry sky. Without a moment of hesitation, he began to follow that thread.

In almost the exact same instant that he began to follow the thread, his mind trembled, and he sensed a powerful will on the other end, something that he couldn't match up to by even ten percent.

He only made brief contact with that entity via divine sense, and yet the backlash almost destroyed him. He shot backward, eyes gleaming. He wasn't thinking about how he had almost been destroyed, nor was he thinking about his injuries. Instead... he was thinking about the rare chance he had!

It was an opportunity to dramatically increase the power of his divine sense!

A roar was echoing out from that towering divine sense, as if the Soulsearching Meng Hao had instigated was an unprecedented provocation of the Paragon in the 33 Heavens.

Divine sense rumbled out, shooting directly toward Meng Hao to eradicate him.

All of these things take some time to describe, but this battle of divine sense actually happened in an instant. Meng Hao's divine sense began to collapse almost immediately, and he followed the tiny remaining thread back into the Mountain and Sea Realm.

At the same time, the divine sense from the 33 Heavens' Paragon followed him!

Blood instantly sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth, and his face went deathly pale. He shot backward, and Marquis Lu's head exploded into a haze of blood. At the same time, that boundless divine sense power shot out from the blood toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's eyes flickered as killing intent exploded out from all directions, enveloping everything. The divine sense was instantly suppressed, and simultaneously the thread connecting it to the 33 Heavens was severed due to Marquis Lu's death.

The pressure of the entire Mountain and Sea Realm had severed the divine sense from its true form. Next, Meng Hao, eyes glittering, suddenly opened his mouth and sucked in a huge breath.

As he did, rumbling sounds echoed out, and the divine sense was absorbed into his body. His mind felt like it was about to explode, and blood oozed out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. However, at the same time, the power of the Dao Divinity Scripture rotated madly within him.

After cultivating the Dao Divinity Scripture, Meng Hao had long since come to realize that it was actually a supreme Daoist scripture designed to allow the person who cultivated it to consume the divine sense of others and make it their own.

However, this time, he was consuming the divine sense of a Paragon. Although it was only a bit of the entire thing, to Meng Hao, it counted as a significant increase. He was shaking, and blood was pouring out of his orifices. A mist of blood surrounded him, and pain wracked his body; he felt like he was about to explode.

He coughed up one mouthful of blood after another, and his body shook so violently it felt like it would collapse. His Eternal stratum operated madly, forcing him to stay alive. Over and over again, blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he hovered on the brink of collapse.

He was a mangled mass of blood, and the flame of his life force was teetering on the verge of being extinguished. And yet, his eyes were shining brightly.

Then, a roar echoed out from beyond the starry sky, from the 33 Heavens, a roar of rage that could destroy Heaven and Earth.

A moment later, Meng Hao shuddered, and then the collapse of his body stopped. The Paragon's divine sense had been forcefully absorbed and suppressed, but only temporarily; he needed to quickly find a suitable place to go into secluded meditation and fuse with it.

His eyes were shot with blood, and his body was incredibly weak. However, his divine sense had experienced explosive growth, and was at least twice as powerful as before...and he had just begun the absorption!

With that vastly more powerful divine sense, he looked over at the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, who stood there trembling, not even daring to look at him. Most of them had heads bowed, and were kneeling in worship.

Meng Hao wiped the blood off of his mouth, then coldly looked up into the depths of the sky. Just now, he had experienced a brush with death; consuming the divine sense of a Paragon had been a very risky thing to do.

Even the Paragon out in the 33 Heavens had never even considered that someone would do something so wildly insane. That was because that person didn't know Meng Hao, and didn't know his philosophy that not acquiring something was the same as losing it.

Meng Hao was the type of person who, when encountering a Paragon whom he couldn't kill, would scheme to take that person's divine sense.

"Rewards come only with risk. How true, how true!" Meng Hao licked his lips.


	6. Chapter 7

Meng Hao ignored the reverence being offered by the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea. He turned and vanished, killing no one. The fact that they had all been so shocked by the sudden appearance of an Outsider was very telling.

However, there had been some whose eyes had revealed looks of devotion, although they had pretended to be surprised. As for those people, a moment later their heads all exploded, and they were killed in body and spirit.

The survivors looked around in shock, then slowly dispersed. None of them went back to the battlefields in the Heavengod Alliance. To them, seeing Marquis Lu turn into an Outsider was a huge shock. Because of the seed of hatred toward Outsiders which had been planted in their hearts, they began to speculate as to the implications of what had occurred.

When Meng Hao reappeared, he was far off in the distance, where he yet again coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Paragon's divine sense had once again burst out within him, breaking past its suppression. The Dao Divinity Scripture then began to operate madly, consuming the divine sense. Meng Hao gritted his teeth as blood spurted out of his wounds, and his body hovered on the brink of collapse.

He then struggled to perform a teleportation, reappearing on an asteroid some distance away. He quickly bored his way into the heart of the asteroid, where he sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Before slipping into deep meditation, he quickly set up layer upon layer of restrictive spells around himself. If anyone had been watching, they would have even seen the asteroid distort, and then seemingly vanish. In reality, it had merely been cloaked.

No one would be able to detect the asteroid or Meng Hao unless they had a cultivation base and divine sense superior to his.

Seven days passed by rather quickly. During that time, Meng Hao experienced numerous near-death encounters. His body almost collapsed several times, and was barely held together by his Eternal stratum, as well as the consumption of medicinal pills.

He became quite gaunt, until he was almost nothing more than skin and bones. However, his eyes shone brightly, the reason being that during the seven days, his divine sense grew vastly more powerful!

In fact, by now, it had experienced threefold growth compared to before!

Such explosive growth in divine sense enabled Meng Hao to be much more confident regarding the use of his cultivation base, and also helped him to understand his divine abilities and magical techniques much better. Not only was he able to control and use them better, but, more importantly, the increase in divine sense led him to the position... where extinguishing the Soul Lamps of the Ancient Realm was now a distinct possibility!

After the seven days passed, Meng Hao opened his eyes. His body was no longer hovering on the brink of collapse. He was weak, and yet, the flame of his life force now burned hotter than ever, and was much more stable.

"Finally, it's all been consumed," he said slowly, eyes shining with intense brightness. "My divine sense is now thirty percent that of the divine sense of a Paragon..."

A smile twisted his face as he waved his sleeve, causing 33 Soul Lamps to suddenly appear around him.

After examining them for a moment, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. Rotating his cultivation base, he began to heal himself; because of the increase in his divine sense, his Eternal stratum was now much more powerful, which made him recover even faster.

This time, it only took a single day to recover from his gaunt state. Now, his cultivation base and his fleshly body were completely recovered to their peak state, as was his soul and divine sense.

Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at his first Soul Lamp. That lamp was at its peak, and was the first of the lot to have ceased absorbing the energy of Heaven and Earth

Meng Hao studied the lamp for a while, and the decisiveness in his eyes slowly began to turn into hesitation. After a while though, the decisiveness returned, and he made his decision.

He would... extinguish his first Soul Lamp, and experience that reversal of life and death that occurred along with the extinguishing of Soul Lamps.

"I have to extinguish these Soul Lamps eventually anyway. I'm now unprecedentedly powerful in terms of my fleshly body and my divine sense. Furthermore, I can tell that power of one's divine sense and the strength of one's soul are critical factors in extinguishing Soul Lamps.

"At the same time, I can test out... if extinguishing the first Soul Lamp will have some effect on the other Soul Lamps' capacity to absorb the energy of Heaven and Earth." Meng Hao eyed the first Soul Lamp, then clenched his jaw and unhesitatingly waved his hand in the direction of the lamp.

The first Soul Lamp immediately began to sway back and forth, and the flame inside began to flicker, as if it could be extinguished at any moment. That effect was the result, not of Meng Hao's actual waving of the hand, but rather, the fact that all his willpower was focused on extinguishing the lamp.

Only when one's will and body are aligned, can the lamps be extinguished!

"Extinguish!" he said softly. As the words left his mouth, the flame of the first Soul Lamp... winked out!

In the moment it was extinguished, Meng Hao trembled. The Soul Lamp was absorbed into his soul, and also connected to his blood, as if it had become part of his very life. In that moment, though, the shadow of death completely covered him.

Meng Hao began to shiver as the flame of his life force rapidly darkened. His vitality waned, on the verge of winking out, and his cultivation base couldn't rotate. Even the power of his divine sense was difficult to operate, and his thoughts began to fade.

An aura of death gradually began to emanate out from him, growing stronger and stronger. His soul also withered, and his fleshly body seemed to decay.

It was a strange sight; Meng Hao seemed to be hovering on the verge of death, his aura becoming weaker and weaker.

If anyone could observe him in that moment, that is what they would see.

The truth of the matter, though, was that although Meng Hao's eyes were shut, he was looking at... a different world. The inside of the asteroid was completely gray, and in fact, everything that he could see was also gray.

He rose to his feet and was shocked to find that his body remained in the same position as before, sitting there cross-legged. What had risen up was apparently his soul, which was in the process of dispersing.

He stepped forward and looked back at his fleshly body sitting there in meditation. He could see that his body was withering, and that his blood was wasting away. He saw the thick aura of death, and realized that his soul was dispersing. All of that made Meng Hao feel as if he were right at death's door.

"So this is what it's like to extinguish the Soul Lamps of the Ancient Realm..." he murmured. It was back in the Fang Clan that he had learned about extinguishing Soul Lamps. What he had learned was that every Ancient Realm cultivator experienced something different in the moment of extinguishing. Not only every person, but every single lamp was different.

However, throughout all the years, a certain general set of rules become clear to cultivators.

"My extinguishing of Soul Lamps in the Ancient Realm will be comprised of the Seven Desolations!" he murmured, eyes shining.

"Every five lamps brings one Desolation. Few people experience the Fourth Desolation, and even rarer is the Fifth Desolation. Some people only experience the Third Desolation... The further along you get, the more dangerous they become...

"The First Desolation is also called the Desolation of Delusion...

"Well then, this must be the Desolation of Delusion." Meng Hao walked back, sat down cross-legged in the same position as his fleshly body, and attempted to re-connect his soul.

However, nothing worked. It was as if his body were rejecting his soul. Meng Hao frowned, then stood up again. His fleshly body was even more withered than before, causing his expression to turn grim. He suddenly flickered into motion, appearing outside of the asteroid. When he looked around, he saw nothing but endless fog, swirling and churning. Everything was completely silent.

"The Desolation of Delusion," he murmured, "The Desolation of Delusion... Where does the 'delusion' part come in...?" He turned to look back in the direction of the asteroid, and suddenly realized that the asteroid had changed. It was now a huge, crimson heart, thumping and writhing. Countless faces could be seen on its surface, all of them howling at Meng Hao. Furthermore, those faces... looked familiar.

They were all the people he had killed in his life.

He looked coldly at the faces, and began to back up slowly. In that instant, a huge hand appeared, covered with blood-colored scales. It shot out from within the heart, rumbling toward him as it sought to crush him, causing everything in the area to shatter.

Its power caused the surrounding fog to writhe, and as it stretched out, it was joined by a vicious voice that echoed out from inside the heart.

"Meng Hao... I've been waiting for a long time... Didn't I say that when the time came to extinguish your Soul Lamps, I would come back!?" The roar echoed out in all directions, and the heart began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, it shattered, disappearing along with the hand.

However, the cold voice continued to echo out.

"I've erased the projection of your fleshly body. You'll never find the path back now. You're stuck here. Soon, your fleshly body will wither up completely, and your blood will run dry. Your divine sense will vanish, and your soul... will dissipate within this place."

Meng Hao's face darkened, and he waved his sleeve. Instantly, the shattered pieces of the heart which had been flying about stopped falling down.

"The Desolation of Delusion is this entire place…." he thought. "A desolate, illusory world which appears after extinguishing the first Soul Lamp. My soul was pulled in here, and if I can't get it back into my fleshly body before my body withers up, then I'll definitely die. Whoever thought that the extinguishing of the first Soul Lamp would be like this?

"If I hadn't consumed that divine sense from the 33 Heavens' Paragon, then this might have been a bit of a difficult situation. But now..." Meng Hao laughed coldly. After all, despite being only a soul, his divine sense was still there. Suddenly, that divine sense exploded out, sweeping around him in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, his divine sense spread out to cover an area the size of what his previous divine sense could reach at its very limit. To him, however that was merely thirty percent of his total divine sense.

"Again!" he said, sending his divine sense sweeping out even further in all directions, sending out boundless ripples that caused the fog to seethe.

"Gotcha!" he said, eyes glittering. Astonishingly, he had just caught sight of an asteroid off in the fog, an asteroid which was the location of his fleshly body.

"Impossible!" someone roared madly from within the fog. It was the same voice that had spoken just now, which was also the same voice he had heard during his Ancient Tribulation.

**Chapter 1289: Extinguishing the First Lamp!**


	7. Chapter 8

Chapter 1290: Returning to the Heavengod Alliance

"Nothing's impossible," Meng Hao said with a cold snort. His divine sense exploded out, and the fog within it seethed as though some gigantic, invisible hand were stirring it. It only took a moment for all of the fog to begin to spin around.

If it were possible to view the scene from high above, it would appear as if all of the fog in the world had transformed into a vortex, breaking the silence and causing rumbling sounds to echo out in all directions.

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever as he hovered there in the center of the vortex, his body seemingly ethereal and illusory. At the same time, a powerful aura emanated out from him, the power of his soul, combined with the power of his divine sense!

By this point, Meng Hao's divine sense was at forty percent of the power of a Paragon.

Such power might not seem like much, but in truth, it had already reached a shocking level. After all... the power of the divine sense of a 5-Essences Dao Sovereign was only ten percent of that of a Paragon. Even the various powerful Mountain and Sea Lords would at most have thirty percent. Only 6-Essences Dao Sovereigns, at their very peak, could come close to forty or fifty percent.

Right now, though, Meng Hao already had the divine sense of a 6-Essences Dao Sovereign, and when it exploded out, wild colors flashed in Heaven and Earth, and the starry sky trembled. After all... a 6-Essences Dao Sovereign was the most powerful entity in existence beneath a Paragon!

Furthermore, Paragons were incredibly rare. For the most part, 6-Essences Dao Sovereigns could be considered invincible.

Meng Hao's divine sense rumbled out, and his energy soared. He strode forward, and when his foot fell, he was directly back in front of the asteroid!

All it took was a single step!

In that instant, a furious roar echoed out from within the void, and the huge hand with red scales stretched out to crush Meng Hao.

"Just what I was waiting for," Meng Hao said with a cold snort. As the hand closed in on him, Meng Hao raised his arms, and his eyes flickered with a cold gleam of killing intent.

"Detonate!" As soon as he uttered that single word, this entire world which was suffused with his divine sense exploded out with destructive power that began to tear away at everything, starting at the borders, with Meng Hao's location in the center.

From a distance, it would look as though the edges of the vortex were collapsing, layer by layer, growing closer to the middle. Even the body from which the huge hand extended, which was hidden within the void, was being enveloped by the destructive power of Meng Hao's divine sense.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

Massive, shocking rumbling could be heard, and the scaled hand didn't even have a chance to reach Meng Hao. A miserable scream rang out as it was overwhelmed by divine sense, and then shredded to pieces.

At the same time, not too far off from Meng Hao, within the void, an enormous figure became visible. It was just an outline, and was impossible to distinguish clearly, but it was fully 30,000 meters tall, with two horns growing out of its head. It was crimson, and was apparently a unique Greater Demon. As Meng Hao's destructive divine sense overwhelmed it, it howled.

"I'm gonna kill you!" it shrieked, fighting back against the power of Meng Hao's divine sense, and even taking a step forward as if to approach him.

Meng Hao's expression was cold as he waved his hand at the figure.

"Scram!" All he said was a single word.

However, when that single word left his mouth, the power of his divine sense became even more explosive. Now, it didn't spread out in all directions, it was completely focused on a single point. Instead of shattering his surroundings, he used all of that power to create a tempest which swept over the enormous figure.

Massive rumbling sounds echoed out, and the huge creature howled miserably. It was no longer trying to approach Meng Hao, but instead was being shoved back relentlessly by the tempest that was Meng Hao's divine sense.

"I refuse to accept this!" the creature roared furiously. However, it couldn't prevent itself from being forced backward, and in the blink of an eye, it was far, far off in the distance.

"You refuse, and so do I," Meng Hao said coolly. "Next time... you don't need to come looking for me, I'll come find you." With that, he strode toward the asteroid, floated inside, and then found his fleshly body sitting there cross-legged.

His body was withered to an extreme degree, and abounded with an aura of death. He was clearly on the verge of dying.

Meng Hao didn't hesitate for a moment. He quickly approached his body and then sat down cross-legged in the same position. His mind rumbled, and then he fused.

Back in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, within that asteroid that no one could see, the cross-legged Meng Hao suddenly trembled. Then his eyes snapped open, and their previously listless gray color changed to a bright gleam. At the same time, his fleshly body reverted from its withered state, and the aura of death vanished from his blood and flesh. His life force gradually began to surge.

Meng Hao took a deep breath, then slowly closed his eyes. His first Soul Lamp was now completely extinguished; a wisp of smoke curled up, which almost seemed to possess intelligence as it swirled into his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. In that instant, the extinguished Soul Lamp erupted with a shocking aura that filled Meng Hao.

He shivered as his fleshly body was fully restored, and his blood began to flow vigorously. At the same time, his cultivation base rose up. Everything except the physical aspect of him was rapidly increasing in power.

It was the same with his soul and his divine sense. Everything rocketed up. His divine sense increased, although not doubling as he had expected but, rather, increasing by a fraction. Even still, Meng Hao's energy had now reached a completely shocking level.

His aura climbed, and he virtually thrummed with the sensation of increasing power.

Three days passed by in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, the void distorted as the previously invisible asteroid once again became visible. Then, it collapsed, although no sound emanated out at all. The entire massive asteroid noiselessly... transformed into ash, as if it had disintegrated.

Floating within that ash was a cross-legged figure, Meng Hao. He was surrounded by 33 Soul Lamps... 32 lit, 1 extinguished!

Ripples spread out from him that caused the starry sky to tremble, but then quickly vanished. His eyes snapped open, and they glowed brightly; for some reason, even the starry sky seemed to brighten.

Meng Hao took a deep breath, causing massive amounts of the energy of Heaven and Earth to rumble into him. Then, he slowly breathed out.

"The Ancient Realm..." he said softly, "This is where cultivators can advance by leaps and bounds, a place where the rotten can be changed into the magical. What a mystical Realm!" With that, he rose to his feet, whereupon cracking sounds echoed out from inside him.

Meng Hao looked over the rest of the 32 lit Soul Lamps, then slowly shook his head. "Unfortunately, it's not as I had speculated before. The remaining Soul Lamps will not become more powerful as I do."

Finally, he waved his sleeve, causing the Soul Lamps to grow blurry and fade away.

"I need to finish things here in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, and then get to the Fourth Mountain and Sea as quickly as possible... to bring Xu Qing back." He turned his head to look off in the direction of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, except, what he was looking at was not that Seventh Mountain and Sea, but rather, several Mountains and Seas beyond... to the Fourth Mountain and Sea.

"According to the memories of Marquis Lu... war... is not just being fought here." After reviewing the information he had gleaned from the Soulsearch, he realized that the Seventh Mountain and Sea wasn't the only Mountain and Sea within the Realm which was invading a neighbor.

"The Sixth Mountain and Sea has also started a Mountain and Sea War.

"The Seventh Mountain and Sea invaded the Eighth with more than one purpose in mind. They also want use this location as a spot from which to march on to the Ninth Mountain and Sea.

"As for the Sixth Mountain and Sea, they have invaded the Fifth Mountain and Sea with exactly the same goal in mind... to lock down a position from which to attack the most powerful of all the Mountains and Seas, the Fourth!" After a moment of thought, Meng Hao took a step forward, heading in the direction of the Heavengod Alliance.

Without having to worry about the Meng Clan, he was free to act however he wished. In his view, the best way to end the war was not to simply prevent the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea from attacking the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Instead... he needed to go to the rift between the two Mountains and Seas, to face the ever-nearing Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

His eyes flickered thoughtfully as he got closer and closer to the Heavengod Alliance. As he did, he could sense familiar fluctuations coming from the Eighth Mountain, which was located within the territory of the Heavengod Alliance.

Several hours later, Meng Hao was at one of the entrances to the Heavengod Alliance. The planet that had once existed there was gone; it had become nothing more than rubble filled with corpses and ruins.

This was a place the Seventh Mountain and Sea had long since attacked and breached. It had also become their command center, and the ruins stretching out bore strong semblance to the Ruins of Immortality.

Both were the crumbled remnants left behind by war.

Meng Hao looked around and then proceeded into the territory of the Heavengod Alliance. As he went along, he could sense the ripples that were the remnants of magical techniques, as well as the all-pervasive sensation of blood and gore.

Off in the distance, he saw a few dozen figures making their way through the ruins and rubble, searching for cultivators who were feigning death and killing them, then looting their magical items and bags of holding.

As soon as Meng Hao appeared, those figures saw him, and almost immediately, their eyes flickered with killing intent. They sent their divine sense out, and when it reached Meng Hao, they could tell that he was only in the Ancient Realm, and vicious smiles broke out on their faces.

"So it's a leftover cultivator from the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Kill him!" As soon as the words rang out, the dozens of cultivators powered up their cultivation bases, and their killing intent surged. Their eyes were red from the months of killing they had already participated in. Unfortunately for them, their cultivation bases didn't qualify to be able to detect how truly terrifying Meng Hao was. Thinking him to be just another cultivator who had survived the recent battle, they closed in to finish him off.


	8. Chapter 9

It was almost as if Meng Hao didn't even notice those incoming cultivators. He proceeded along as before, but then casually waved his hand. Instantly, the dozen or so cultivators began to tremble. Their faces went slack, then they toppled over and became a part of the surrounding ruins.

Meng Hao didn't kill them, but rather dispersed their consciousness, putting them into a state of sleep from which they would awaken in a few months.

As he traveled through the Heavengod Alliance, he noticed many places where planets had once existed which were now nothing more than rubble. Everything was in ruins, and corpses could be seen everywhere, cultivators from both the Eighth and the Seventh Mountain and Sea.

Meng Hao's face was very grim as he went along, getting deeper and deeper into the territory of the Heavengod Alliance. Up ahead, he could sense Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering ripples, and could even hear the sounds of screaming mixed in, along with massive explosions.

That was clearly... where the front lines of the battle were.

His divine sense expanded out, spreading out through virtually the entire Heavengod Alliance. In that whole area, there were only two people he cared about. One was the Noble Ran, and the other... was on the Eighth Mountain.

In fact, those two people were the entire reason why he had come here to begin with.

With his divine sense, Meng Hao could see that half of the former Heavengod Alliance's territory was now in complete ruin, and was controlled by the Seventh Mountain and Sea. By now, their cultivators numbered in the millions, and had been divided into four main armies which stabbed into the Heavengod Alliance from four different directions.

The cultivators of the Heavengod Alliance were also split into four main armies to defend against the various offenses. However, it was obvious that they were being forced inexorably back, and would eventually be defeated. There was little hope of achieving victory.

Not too far away from Meng Hao, in the starry sky of the Heavengod Alliance, in the most bloody and bitter of the four battlefields, a shattered planet was transforming into a black hole, and had begun swallowing up many of the surrounding cultivators.

A grand battle was being fought here, with more than 700,000 cultivators on each side. It was a spectacular, sprawling fight, and at any particular moment the shrill cries of the dying could be heard.

Explosions echoed out constantly, and the glow of magical techniques rose up high into the starry sky. Terrifying ripples spread out chaotically, and the entire scene was one of disorder.

Higher up was where the Dao Realm experts were fighting. Meng Hao could see the Chief Dharma Protector of the Heavengod Society, as well as... the boy Xiao Yihan. The two of them were locked in a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering battle.

Clearly, the Chief Dharma Protector was no match for Xiao Yihan. However, he wore a green suit of armor that boosted his power to the point where he could at least hold his own.

There were more than a few Dao Realm experts in the battle, and wherever they fought, massive booms and explosions echoed out.

Meng Hao caught sight of the first Patriarch of the Righteous Noble Sect, who was in a very sorry state and seemed to be on his last legs. Meng Hao continued to scan the battlefield until he finally found the Noble Ran.

Shockingly, he was up against two Dao Realm experts from the Seventh Mountain and Sea, who were attacking him in unison. It was a breathtaking battle, and unfortunately, he was weakening by the moment. His body a mass of wounds and injuries, and his face was completely ashen. He looked like an oil lamp running low on fuel, sputtering on the verge of being extinguished.

As soon as Meng Hao caught sight of him, his eyes flickered coldly, and he took a step in that direction.

On the battlefield itself, the Noble Ran was laughing bitterly. Booms rang out, and blood spurted from his wounds as he was forced back relentlessly. His injuries were many and serious; in the past months, he had been in so many fights he had lost count.

Despite fighting so bitterly, the mad advance of the Seventh Mountain and Sea was unstoppable. The Righteous Noble Sect... was no more. Vast numbers of disciples had been killed, and the third Patriarch was dead. Only the Noble Ran and the first Patriarch remained.

"Perhaps this battle... is where I will perish," thought the Noble Ran as he performed an incantation gesture, once again fighting back against his two Dao Realm opponents. One of those opponents was a middle-aged man, the other was elderly. Their cultivation bases were at the same level as his, and they attacked with complete viciousness. They clearly wanted to kill the Noble Ran more than anything else, and in response to his move, they unleashed their Essence power, creating a huge mountain of ice, within which was sealed a black eyeball.

As the mountain sped toward the Noble Ran, it melted, creating a powerful blast of freezing air. Cracking sounds could be heard as everything froze over and was covered by layer after layer of frost. Simultaneously, the black eyeball flew out, becoming a black beam of light that shot toward the Noble Ran.

He laughed bitterly as the freezing ice spread out over his body, and the black beam of light closed in. Finally, he bit his tongue and spit out a glob of blood, which transformed into a blood mist that blocked the black light.

Rumbling sounds could be heard, and a stubborn gleam appeared in the Noble Ran's eyes. He took a deep breath and then said, "The Dao is in My Heart!"

Instantly, the ice covering him cracked and then shattered away.

The two Dao Realm experts he was facing began to laugh coldly.

"That move again? Noble Ran, we've fought back and forth numerous times, and this isn't the first time you've tried to use that Seal the Heavens Incantation, and it never works! Anybody can see that it's a completely worthless incantation!"

"The Seal the Heavens Incantation is a complete joke. I've heard people say that you got it to work once, is that right? To tell you the truth, I really look forward to seeing that happen. I want to see this 'Seal the Heavens Incantation' that you supposedly used to block tens of thousands of opponents at the same time." The two Dao Realm experts continued to laugh coldly. Instead of unleashing attacks, they merely hovered there, looking at the Noble Ran with cold cynicism.

Their words stung, but the Noble Ran's eyes gleamed with stubborness. He had succeeded, albeit only once. However, that one time in which he had succeeded had given his apprentice the chance to escape.

That one success was something he would never forget.

The Seal the Heavens Incantation is not worthless!

"The Will is in My Eyes!" roared the Noble Ran, then gritted his teeth as he assumed the proper pose, to further mockery from his opponents.

"I Shall Possess the Mountains and Seas, Seal the Heavens Incantation!" The Noble Ran threw his head back and roared, splaying both arms out wide and then waving them out. However... absolutely no magical technique appeared.

The Noble Ran's eyes faded, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He chuckled bitterly, and yet deep inside he still believed that the Seal the Heavens Incantation was not worthless.

"How many times have you tried to use that magic? Every single time you prove that it's a completely worthless incantation!"

"What a pity. We've still never even seen this so-called Seal the Heavens Incantation." The two cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea shook their heads and then began to speed toward the Noble Ran, pulsing with killing intent.

In his bitterness, the Noble Ran slowly began to speak, more to himself than to anyone else, "It's not a worthless incantation, it's the Seal the Heavens Incantation, which I created myself... The Seal the Heavens Incantation!

"I succeeded once before..." he murmured. He had paid an unimaginable price to create the Seal the Heavens Incantation, and the memories of what had occurred were something he didn't like to recall. It was an incredible pain that he kept hidden away deep in his heart.

RUMBLE!

As the two Dao Realm experts closed in, they joined forces to unleash a powerful magical technique. The image of a huge black centipede appeared, a vicious creature which opened its mouth as if to consume the Noble Ran.

"Take your worthless incantation with you into death!"

However, it was at this point that an icy cold voice suddenly echoed out across the battlefield, exploding into the ears of the two Dao Realm cultivators.

"You people want to see the Seal the Heavens Incantation? Well then, I'll give you that chance right now... The Dao is in My Heart!" As soon as the words "The Dao is in My Heart" echoed out, massive rumbling filled Heaven and Earth and everything shook. At the same time, a shocking aura spread out to fill the starry sky.

The two Dao Realm experts' faces fell. The voice from just now had pierced into their minds, causing them to tremble physically. They looked up into the starry sky and saw a figure approaching.

That figure wore a long robe, and his descent caused the more than a million fiercely fighting cultivators on the battlefield to be filled with shock. As for his words, they echoed about like the crash of thunder.

This new arrival was none other than Meng Hao!

When the Noble Ran saw him, he began to tremble, and his eyes filled with happiness. He began to laugh, and the look in his eyes turned to that of excitement.

"My little disciple, my little disciple..."

"The Will is in My Eyes!" Meng Hao said, which was the second line of the incantation. His voice echoed out, booming like thunder, causing the two Dao Realm experts from the Seventh Mountain and Sea to cough up blood. Looks of shock and disbelief flashed across their faces.

They weren't the only ones. The other Dao Realm experts in the area all looked over in astonishment. Of course, what was most shocking to them was not just the power of Meng Hao's voice, but the fact that all of a sudden... an indescribable pressure had begun to weigh down on them.

That boundless pressure felt like an enormous mountain crushing down onto their backs.

It was... the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm!

The first Patriarch of the Righteous Noble Sect looked on in astonishment. The other Dao Realm experts on both sides of the battlefield felt their minds spinning. As for the Chief Dharma Protector of the Heavengod Society, when he recognized Meng Hao, he immediately gasped.

However, the one who was most shocked wasn't him, it was... the boy Xiao Yihan. He looked at Meng Hao with wide eyes for a moment before turning around and fleeing.

That was the reaction of the Dao Realm experts. As for all of the other million or more cultivators on the battlefield, the power of the Mountains and Seas caused them to tremble, and their minds to reel. Instantly, all of the fighting completely stopped. All because of a single person!

"I Shall Possess the Mountains and Seas..." Meng Hao said, the third line of the incantation. The entire starry sky was filled with booming sounds like those of war drums, sounds that caused everyone present to be completely shaken. Their minds buzzed as the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm seemed to become even stronger than before.

It was as if massive power had built up and was now being released, creating a pressure that overwhelmed the minds of everyone present. It was a pressure that didn't just affect their cultivation bases; it actually caused everyone to stop breathing.

Only the Noble Ran was smiling. As for the two Dao Realm opponents he had been fighting, their faces were ashen, and their minds spun out of control.

The entire world, the entire starry sky, seemed to converge upon Meng Hao. They watched as Meng Hao... spoke the third line, stretched his hands out wide, then waved them toward the starry sky, simultaneously speaking the final words of the incantation.

"Seal... the Heavens... Incantation!"

Chapter 1291: Who Said It Was a Worthless Incantation?


	9. Chapter 10

Chapter 1293: Storm Clouds Approach

Describing Meng Hao's thoughts at this moment would be a very difficult thing to do. He stood there silently at the foot of the Eighth Mountain for a long moment before taking a step forward and beginning to climb.

Considering the level of his cultivation base, there was really nothing to cause him any hesitation. However, he couldn't stop thinking about how important this was, and how much he wanted his Grandpa Meng to be at the top of the mountain.

Although he had his suspicions, he still wondered why his grandfather had come to be the Mountain and Sea Lord. Although, in the end, that part wasn't really important. What was important... was that his grandfather was still alive.

Deep in the memories of his childhood, he could recall the images of both of his grandfathers, how they had cradled him in their arms, how they had smiled happily, and how they had even devolved into angry arguments over whose turn it was to hold him.

Even more unforgettable was how his Grandpa Meng and Grandpa Fang had left together to search for a way to save him. After leaving... they never returned. Because of that, both of their bloodlines, which had once stood at the pinnacles of their respective clans, entered a state of decline.

Meng Hao was deeply moved, but also felt very guilty. Therefore, even if he had to pay a heavier price than he already had, he would willingly do so to protect his Grandma Meng and her people, and with no regrets at that. He had led the Fang Clan to prominence, but as for the Meng Clan, all he could do was protect them as best he could.

"It might be you, it might not," he murmured. "I'll find out when I get there..." After more time passed, he slowly began to walk up the Eighth Mountain. As he did, many memories swirled through his mind.

This was one of the great Nine Mountains, and it was actually the first time he had stepped onto one of them.

It was huge, so huge that a mortal could spend a lifetime climbing it and never reach the top. In fact, even among cultivators, there were few people who could ever reach the true peak of the mountain. However, this proved to be no obstacle for Meng Hao. As he walked along, time passed, although he wasn't sure how much. Soon he was halfway up the mountain, where he saw the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite.

It looked just like the Immortal Ancient Daoist Rite on the Ninth Mountain, except that it was completely sealed, not by outside forces, but from the inside.

Meng Hao looked at it and could sense that there were cultivators inside, including several extremely powerful auras. In the same moment that he was studying them, they were doing the same of him.

A long moment passed, after which Meng Hao clasped hands and bowed. Then he proceeded along, slowly approaching the peak of the mountain.

Eventually he found himself standing in front of an enormous stone stele, upon which were written the words...

Heavengod Society!

As he looked at the words, he could sense the archaic feeling of many years upon the stone stele, as if it had experienced a baptism of time. He passed the stele, whereupon he caught sight of a narrow path. A path that led... to the peak of the mountain!

It was a peaceful little path with no people on it. Not a sound could be heard anywhere. He followed the path until he saw a body of water that was like a celestial pond.

Within that water was a statue of a Xuanwu turtle. Actually, despite the fact that it looked like a statue, Meng Hao could tell that within that Xuanwu turtle was... a spark of life, as well as... the aura of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

In that moment, the Demon Sealing Hexing magic inside of him trembled. Meng Hao felt almost as if something were calling to him. All of a sudden, the Xuanwu turtle opened its eyes and looked at him.

One man. One turtle. As they looked at each other, Meng Hao's mind reeled. It was as if he was looking directly at the Mountain and Sea Realm itself. A long moment passed, after which Meng Hao finally settled his thoughts. Then, the Xuanwu turtle slowly bowed its head, indicating... that it was offering him its allegiance. It was offering formal greetings... from the Mountain and Sea Realm to its one and only Lord.

Past the celestial pond was a palace. It was not luxurious, but rather, built into the mountain itself. The front gate was closed, and everything was quiet and peaceful.

Meng Hao's gaze lingered on the Xuanwu turtle for a moment before he walked past it toward the palace. He stood quietly outside the gate for a moment, then raised his hand and pushed it open.

No sound could be heard as the gate slowly swung open to reveal a modest hall, lined with rows of statues on either side, which were clad in black armor. Further up ahead on a huge throne, a person sat cross-legged.

He wore armor, and his face was covered. A majestic, boundless power flowed inside of him, something that exerted stifling pressure even on Meng Hao.

The pressure was like a boundless force, an endless sea, quiet and yet profound. It was the type of power that, when it erupted out, could destroy the Heavens and extinguish the Earth. In addition to all that, Meng Hao was also able to sense... the fluctuations of the Mountain and Sea Realm itself.

They were fluctuations that could topple mountains and drain seas, and were apparently capable of focusing the power of the Mountains and Seas into a pressure that could destroy anything and everything.

Meng Hao stood outside the hall. He didn't set foot inside, but instead examined the armored figure who sat there cross-legged on the throne. Meng Hao's vision could pierce through the armor to see what was inside; the face of a very, very old man.

The fluctuations Meng Hao felt were familiar, and so was that face. Furthermore, the command medallion in his bag of holding began to show strong signs that it was homing in on the man. All of Meng Hao's suspicions were now confirmed. Trembling with excitement, he was now sure... that the person in front of him was none other than his Grandpa Meng!

"Grandpa..." he said. Although he had been prepared for this outcome, it was hard to suppress his excitement. He had been hoping to find his two grandfathers for many years now, and at long last, he had found one of them.

After a long moment passed, Meng Hao took a deep breath, and his eyes glittered brightly. He could tell that there was something off about his grandfather. Although his cultivation base seemed to be alive and bursting with power, that was only the exterior. Inside, his true cultivation base wasn't even moving.

Apparently... there was something about his grandfather which was missing, something that would normally be able to stir his cultivation base into motion. Apparently, this body's soul... was sleeping.

After another long moment passed, Meng Hao closed his eyes and sent some divine sense out into the hall, as well as the surrounding area. Soon, it had covered the entirety of the Eighth Mountain. Time passed. Finally, Meng Hao opened his eyes, and they shone with a strange light.

"His soul is gone..." he murmured. It was a somewhat familiar situation. Soon, his eyes widened.

"I experienced something like this in the Desolation of Delusion... Grandpa Meng's soul isn't in his body, it's somewhere outside... However, it still exists. From the look of it, there's only one explanation... Grandpa Meng's soul has merged into the Eighth Mountain and Sea. His soul... is everywhere!

"It's as if he took a mental journey through Heaven and Earth, but then... forgot to return." No other person would be able to reach such a conclusion so quickly. However, Meng Hao was the type of person who could fight with Mountain and Sea Lords. Because of his familiarity with the power of the Mountains and Seas, he was quickly able to detect the various clues.

He thought back to the nails which had been stuck in his Grandma Meng and the others, and everything he had experienced in the process of removing them.

"Use the bloodline as the curse, and the relatives as the spell," Meng Hao murmured. "Seal the soul, thus ensuring that it cannot find the path to return. The soul can only drift about in the Eighth Mountain and Sea as it gradually loses its consciousness, acting on instinct alone..." A bitter expression appeared on his face, but after a moment, his eyes began to shine. He clasped hands and bowed deeply to his grandfather, then closed the temple gate and left the Eighth Mountain!

"I've already broken the bloodline curse," he murmured, floating through the starry sky, eyes shining brightly. "I've also ended the part of the curse cast by means of his relatives. Grandpa Meng now has what he needs to awaken. He just lacks... a strong catalyst!

"If he has that, his soul will instinctively... return to his body." He now had a new direction: the rift connecting the Seventh Mountain and Sea to the Eighth.

"There could be no stronger catalyst than the intense ripples which would result from a battle with another Mountain and Sea Lord.

"If I really want to end the invasion of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, then the simplest way to do so... is to kill the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

"As the saying goes, if you want to catch bandits, first catch their ringleader. If the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea dies, then the war will be over." With every sentence that Meng Hao uttered, the look in his eyes grew sharper.

"The Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea..." he said, his eyes gleaming with decisiveness. With that, he took another step forward, and then vanished. When he reappeared, he was outside of the Heavengod Alliance, near the border between the Eighth and Seventh Mountains and Seas. That was where... the rift was.

The Seventh Mountain and Sea had already heavily fortified the area with hundreds of thousands of cultivators and countless spell formations.

In fact, there were actually four Dao Realm experts stationed in the area. One of them was just as famous as Marquis Lu had been in the Seventh Mountain and Sea. He was also a Dao Sovereign, Patriarch Chi Yan.

Of the other three, one was a Dao Lord, and the other two were 1-Essence Dao Realm experts!

With those four in place, along with hundreds of thousands of other cultivators and countless restrictive spells and other spell formations, it had become a place that no cultivator of the Eighth Mountain and Sea would be able to breach easily. Furthermore, if someone tried to break through the defenses, but didn't succeed quickly, then the rest of the main army that was currently invading the Heavengod Alliance, as well as numerous other almighty experts, would surely hasten back to flank them.

However... Meng Hao was not just any cultivator!

As soon as he appeared in the area, he did nothing to disguise the fluctuations of his cultivation base. He circulated his Ancient mana to explosive effect, and even sent the aura of the Paragon Bridge emanating out. The power of the Mountains and Seas swirled around him, causing a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering tempest to spring up. As the tempest spread out, the starry sky distorted, and a boundless sea of stars appeared. It was an explosive power that could topple mountains and drain seas, causing the sky to grow dim, and massive rumbling to rise up.

Instantly, the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea awoke from their meditative trances, and their expressions flickered. At the same time, a powerful roar echoed out from the region of the rift.

"Who goes there?!" The sound echoed out like thunder as a red-haired old man appeared. When his eyes opened, they looked completely bizarre; each eye had two pupils!

Behind him was a pitch-black ox, fully 3,000 meters tall. Almost instantly, its eyes blazed with the fire of the underworld as it stared at Meng Hao.

Strangely, the fire that burned within the eyes of that pitch-black ox seemed to also burn within the dual pupils of the red-haired old man.

The result was that anyone who looked at either the old man's eyes, or the ox's, would suddenly feel their vision swimming.

Three other old men sat off to the side, and when their eyes opened, the Essence aura of the Dao Realm erupted from them.

As Meng Hao approached, he looked around at the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, then looked at the red-haired old man and calmly said, "I'm not interested in slaughtering more wrongdoers. Send these other cultivators away."


	10. Chapter 11

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Chapter 1294: I'm Waiting For You!/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As soon as the red-haired old man's gaze met Meng Hao's, the man's mind reeled, and an intense sensation of deadly crisis exploded up inside of him, as though a voice was screaming inside of him./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The sensation of crisis caused the old man to begin to tremble. He felt almost as if he were facing the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea. Although he seemed calm, beneath the surface, he was terrified./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The red-haired old man's dual pupils constricted, and he immediately waved his hand dismissively./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Withdraw!" he said./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"That single word caused all of the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea to be filled with shock. They began to back up, opening up a path in front of Meng Hao./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The old man frowned, then barked, "I said to withdraw!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"His voice echoed out like thunder into the ears of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, whose minds spun. Almost immediately, they began to scatter away from the region of the rift./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The other three Dao Realm experts frowned in response to the red-haired old man's words./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Patriarch Chi, this isn't very appropriate," said the almighty Dao Lord./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Shut your mouth!" the old man roared. "I don't need you criticizing my orders." He leveled a glare at the Dao Lord, then turned towards the rest of the cultivators and frowned again./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Withdraw further! Get five thousand kilometers away from here. Without my authorization, none of you are to set foot into this area. Go, now!" The booming of the old man's voice echoed within the minds of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators. They had no way to sense how terrifying Meng Hao was, but they could not afford to disregard the orders of the red-haired old man./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Soon, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators were in full flight. Soon, that five thousand kilometer area around the rift was completely empty except for the four Dao Realm experts, the leader of whom was the red-haired old man./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The old man stared at Meng Hao as he slowly rose to his feet./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"His condescending manner caused the Dao Lord he had just rebuked to snort coldly, and his eyes to flicker with venomous hatred. However, the Dao Lord wasn't in the mood to get into an altercation, so he said nothing. But then, he looked more closely at Meng Hao, and just like the red-haired old man, he could sense the terrifying fluctuations hidden within him, and his eyes went wide./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The other two 1-Essence Dao Realm cultivators' expressions also became serious. As soon as the red-haired old man rose to his feet they also stood up, gathering the power of their cultivation bases to summon various magical techniques and items as if they were facing up against a mighty opponent./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Meng Hao's expression was calm as he looked over this red-haired old man. The old man had complied with Meng Hao's wishes to send the hundreds of thousands of cultivators away, which left Meng Hao with a somewhat favorable impression of him./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"He could tell that some level of benevolence existed within his heart, and that he realized having all of the other cultivators around when they were fighting would do little good./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"In the end, those hundreds of thousands of cultivators would definitely end up being killed or simply fleeing. Allowing them to leave now was actually the best way to keep the forces of the Seventh Mountain and Sea at top strength./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The red-haired old man looked at Meng Hao, his heart full of caution, then asked, "Who are you, your Excellency?"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Meng Hao," was the calm response as he walked forward. Almost immediately, the spell formations and restrictive spells burst out loudly, filling the area with brilliant light as they were completely activated./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"However, in that exact moment, booms rang out as the restrictive spells collapsed and the spell formations exploded in brilliant flashes of light./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As Meng Hao advanced, all of the restrictive spells and spell formations were destroyed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"It was as if the mere pressure and energy coming off of Meng Hao turned into a power that could counteract anything, could crush all resistance like dried weeds./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The red-haired old man's face fell, and the eyes of the Dao Lord next to him went wide. The other two 1-Essence Dao Realm experts felt their hearts beating out of control./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the briefest instant. As the Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering roaring booms filled the area around the rift, a blinding light spread out in all directions that seemed bright enough to light up the entire starry sky. When that light faded away, it almost seemed as if the previously glorious light of the starry sky was now gone./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The only thing left behind were ripples that spread out into the distance, filling a five thousand kilometer area... As of this moment, all of the spell formations in the area... had been completely destroyed!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The hundreds of thousands of cultivators outside of the five thousand kilometer area could sense what had happened, and their minds filled with shock. That was especially true of the Ancient Realm experts. Despite having left the area, their divine sense enabled them to observe what was happening, and when they saw Meng Hao simply take a few steps, and use the pressure emanating from him to destroy all of the spell formations, their minds filled with raging waves of shock./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""What... what cultivation base is that?!"/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Dao Realm, and definitely not an ordinary Dao Realm cultivation base!" Everyone was astonished, and the four Dao Realm experts' hearts were pounding./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Accompanied by ear-splitting booms that caused everything to grow dark, Meng Hao suddenly appeared only 300 meters in front of the group of four./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"However, he didn't stop there. He continued to advance casually, not even looking at the red-haired old man or the others. Instead, he was staring at the rift which had been torn open in the starry sky, and the beast which was still holding the rift open./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"That beast did not look like it once had when it had pried the rift open; it had transformed into creeping vines which covered both sides of the rift, preventing it from closing up./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As Meng Hao got closer to the rift, he could sense an astonishing life force approaching, getting nearer and nearer. He could tell that it wouldn't be very long before that life force reached the rift and stepped into the Eighth Mountain and Sea./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As Meng Hao neared the rift, the steps he took didn't appear out of the ordinary, and yet the red-haired old man and the others could sense a terrifying rumbling./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The level of terror they felt increased with each step, and the booms grew louder. The 1-Essence Dao Realm experts' faces were ashen, and blood began to ooze out of their mouths. Their expressions were those of complete terror as they were forced to step back in retreat./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Next was the Dao Lord, who also began to fall back, and finally, the red-haired old man./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"They had no choice but to do so; as Meng Hao got closer, it felt to them as if a massive millstone was approaching, and if they didn't fall back, they would be destroyed, crushed into nothing but paste./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"RUMBLE!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Meng Hao slowly advanced, and the group of four fell back again. Next, the Dao Lord began to bleed from the mouth. When Meng Hao was about 150 meters away, the pressure was so intense, and their fear so great, that it was as if all the Heavens were bearing down on them./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Cracks began to echo out from inside the bodies of the 1-Essence Dao Realm cultivators as they began to fall apart. The Dao Lord's face was now magenta, and his blood could hardly flow through his veins./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The red-haired old man was trembling, and to him, it felt as if he were standing within the shadow of death./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"They let out powerful roars, and their eyes filled with looks of madness. They knew that if they didn't do something about this pressure then they would soon lose any ability to resist it, and if Meng Hao took even a few more steps, they would be crushed to death./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The red-haired old man threw his head back and roared, fully rotating his cultivation base. Rumbling booms could be heard as he transformed into a beam of light that shot toward Meng Hao. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, and a bizarre light shone from his pupils, causing the void ahead of him to distort. The pitch-black ox also threw its head back and bellowed, lowering its head to charge Meng Hao with its horns./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"It was a spectacular and shocking scene!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As of this moment, the red-haired old man's cultivation base was bursting with power. He waved his hand, causing Essence power to surge out. Four streams of essence could be seen: wind, rain, thunder, and lightning!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The wind was like a storm, the rain was the Essence of water, the thunder was a roar, and the lightning crackled and danced. The four streams of Essence formed into the pattern of a spell formation which could shake Heaven and Earth./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The old man was the type to either not attack, or attack with his most powerful Daos. In addition to what he had already done, all of a sudden, his hair suddenly flew out, transforming into a crimson sea which covered the entire area. It rapidly became a blood mist, which was the Essence the old man was currently exploring, his fifth Essence. Although he hadn't completed the process, it still bolstered the power of his other Essences./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Behind him, the Dao Lord trembled in madness, performing an incantation gesture to unleash a divine ability. A beam of light shot toward Meng Hao at incredible speed, piercing through the starry sky. Simultaneously, the image of numerous sword projections became visible around the Dao Lord./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Almost in the blink of an eye, there were more than 10,000 of them!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"His murderous aura was so strong that everything shook violently. Shockingly, behind each sword projection was a vicious spirit, which propelled the swords toward Meng Hao, making it seem as if Meng Hao was not facing one opponent, but rather 10,000 sword cultivators./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Last were the two 1-Essence cultivators. Their cultivation bases were relatively limited, and because of the pressure from Meng Hao, they paid the steepest price of the group. Blood sprayed out of their mouths, their eyes were bloodshot, and their jaws were tightly clenched. Neither of them had more than one Essence, but even still, they combined their power to produce the image of a sun./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Meng Hao looked at his four opponents, and then stepped down with his right foot. When he did, he passed the thirty meter mark to appear directly in front of the group./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As he stepped down, the starry sky rumbled, and an astonishing power exploded out from him. His right hand reached out to tap one of the pitch-black ox's horns. The ox let out a miserable shriek and collapsed into pieces. At the same time, the wave of Meng Hao's hand caused the red-haired old man's Essences to be obliterated. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he was sent spinning away./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Meng Hao turned, snorting coldly. The sound echoed out, slamming into the 10,000 sword projections, shattering them. The sword cultivator Dao Lord coughed up a mouthful of blood, and was already on the point of being killed, all by a mere snort. He instantly fell back./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As for the two 1-Essence Dao Realm cultivators, all it took was a mere look from Meng Hao. His gaze was like a sword that shattered their sun image, and left them coughing up blood and fleeing in retreat./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Considering none of you have Outsider totem tattoos, I won't kill you," he said coolly. Then, he was in front of the rift. The red-haired old man and the others were completely shaken, and were now looking at Meng Hao with unmitigated awe./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Ignoring them, Meng Hao looked at the rift, eyes glittering. Then he sat down cross-legged./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""I'm waiting for you," he said calmly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The only response was an icy cold harrumph, echoing out slowly from within the rift./p 


	11. Chapter 12

Chapter 1294: I'm Waiting For You!

As soon as the red-haired old man's gaze met Meng Hao's, the man's mind reeled, and an intense sensation of deadly crisis exploded up inside of him, as though a voice was screaming inside of him.

The sensation of crisis caused the old man to begin to tremble. He felt almost as if he were facing the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea. Although he seemed calm, beneath the surface, he was terrified.

The red-haired old man's dual pupils constricted, and he immediately waved his hand dismissively.

"Withdraw!" he said.

That single word caused all of the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea to be filled with shock. They began to back up, opening up a path in front of Meng Hao.

The old man frowned, then barked, "I said to withdraw!"

His voice echoed out like thunder into the ears of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, whose minds spun. Almost immediately, they began to scatter away from the region of the rift.

The other three Dao Realm experts frowned in response to the red-haired old man's words.

"Patriarch Chi, this isn't very appropriate," said the almighty Dao Lord.

"Shut your mouth!" the old man roared. "I don't need you criticizing my orders." He leveled a glare at the Dao Lord, then turned towards the rest of the cultivators and frowned again.

"Withdraw further! Get five thousand kilometers away from here. Without my authorization, none of you are to set foot into this area. Go, now!" The booming of the old man's voice echoed within the minds of the hundreds of thousands of cultivators. They had no way to sense how terrifying Meng Hao was, but they could not afford to disregard the orders of the red-haired old man.

Soon, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators were in full flight. Soon, that five thousand kilometer area around the rift was completely empty except for the four Dao Realm experts, the leader of whom was the red-haired old man.

The old man stared at Meng Hao as he slowly rose to his feet.

His condescending manner caused the Dao Lord he had just rebuked to snort coldly, and his eyes to flicker with venomous hatred. However, the Dao Lord wasn't in the mood to get into an altercation, so he said nothing. But then, he looked more closely at Meng Hao, and just like the red-haired old man, he could sense the terrifying fluctuations hidden within him, and his eyes went wide.

The other two 1-Essence Dao Realm cultivators' expressions also became serious. As soon as the red-haired old man rose to his feet they also stood up, gathering the power of their cultivation bases to summon various magical techniques and items as if they were facing up against a mighty opponent.

Meng Hao's expression was calm as he looked over this red-haired old man. The old man had complied with Meng Hao's wishes to send the hundreds of thousands of cultivators away, which left Meng Hao with a somewhat favorable impression of him.

He could tell that some level of benevolence existed within his heart, and that he realized having all of the other cultivators around when they were fighting would do little good.

In the end, those hundreds of thousands of cultivators would definitely end up being killed or simply fleeing. Allowing them to leave now was actually the best way to keep the forces of the Seventh Mountain and Sea at top strength.

The red-haired old man looked at Meng Hao, his heart full of caution, then asked, "Who are you, your Excellency?"

"Meng Hao," was the calm response as he walked forward. Almost immediately, the spell formations and restrictive spells burst out loudly, filling the area with brilliant light as they were completely activated.

However, in that exact moment, booms rang out as the restrictive spells collapsed and the spell formations exploded in brilliant flashes of light.

As Meng Hao advanced, all of the restrictive spells and spell formations were destroyed.

It was as if the mere pressure and energy coming off of Meng Hao turned into a power that could counteract anything, could crush all resistance like dried weeds.

The red-haired old man's face fell, and the eyes of the Dao Lord next to him went wide. The other two 1-Essence Dao Realm experts felt their hearts beating out of control.

All of this takes some time to describe, but actually happened in the briefest instant. As the Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering roaring booms filled the area around the rift, a blinding light spread out in all directions that seemed bright enough to light up the entire starry sky. When that light faded away, it almost seemed as if the previously glorious light of the starry sky was now gone.

The only thing left behind were ripples that spread out into the distance, filling a five thousand kilometer area... As of this moment, all of the spell formations in the area... had been completely destroyed!

The hundreds of thousands of cultivators outside of the five thousand kilometer area could sense what had happened, and their minds filled with shock. That was especially true of the Ancient Realm experts. Despite having left the area, their divine sense enabled them to observe what was happening, and when they saw Meng Hao simply take a few steps, and use the pressure emanating from him to destroy all of the spell formations, their minds filled with raging waves of shock.

"What... what cultivation base is that?!"

"Dao Realm, and definitely not an ordinary Dao Realm cultivation base!" Everyone was astonished, and the four Dao Realm experts' hearts were pounding.

Accompanied by ear-splitting booms that caused everything to grow dark, Meng Hao suddenly appeared only 300 meters in front of the group of four.

However, he didn't stop there. He continued to advance casually, not even looking at the red-haired old man or the others. Instead, he was staring at the rift which had been torn open in the starry sky, and the beast which was still holding the rift open.

That beast did not look like it once had when it had pried the rift open; it had transformed into creeping vines which covered both sides of the rift, preventing it from closing up.

As Meng Hao got closer to the rift, he could sense an astonishing life force approaching, getting nearer and nearer. He could tell that it wouldn't be very long before that life force reached the rift and stepped into the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

As Meng Hao neared the rift, the steps he took didn't appear out of the ordinary, and yet the red-haired old man and the others could sense a terrifying rumbling.

The level of terror they felt increased with each step, and the booms grew louder. The 1-Essence Dao Realm experts' faces were ashen, and blood began to ooze out of their mouths. Their expressions were those of complete terror as they were forced to step back in retreat.

Next was the Dao Lord, who also began to fall back, and finally, the red-haired old man.

They had no choice but to do so; as Meng Hao got closer, it felt to them as if a massive millstone was approaching, and if they didn't fall back, they would be destroyed, crushed into nothing but paste.

RUMBLE!

Meng Hao slowly advanced, and the group of four fell back again. Next, the Dao Lord began to bleed from the mouth. When Meng Hao was about 150 meters away, the pressure was so intense, and their fear so great, that it was as if all the Heavens were bearing down on them.

Cracks began to echo out from inside the bodies of the 1-Essence Dao Realm cultivators as they began to fall apart. The Dao Lord's face was now magenta, and his blood could hardly flow through his veins.

The red-haired old man was trembling, and to him, it felt as if he were standing within the shadow of death.

They let out powerful roars, and their eyes filled with looks of madness. They knew that if they didn't do something about this pressure then they would soon lose any ability to resist it, and if Meng Hao took even a few more steps, they would be crushed to death.

The red-haired old man threw his head back and roared, fully rotating his cultivation base. Rumbling booms could be heard as he transformed into a beam of light that shot toward Meng Hao. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, and a bizarre light shone from his pupils, causing the void ahead of him to distort. The pitch-black ox also threw its head back and bellowed, lowering its head to charge Meng Hao with its horns.

It was a spectacular and shocking scene!

As of this moment, the red-haired old man's cultivation base was bursting with power. He waved his hand, causing Essence power to surge out. Four streams of essence could be seen: wind, rain, thunder, and lightning!

The wind was like a storm, the rain was the Essence of water, the thunder was a roar, and the lightning crackled and danced. The four streams of Essence formed into the pattern of a spell formation which could shake Heaven and Earth.

The old man was the type to either not attack, or attack with his most powerful Daos. In addition to what he had already done, all of a sudden, his hair suddenly flew out, transforming into a crimson sea which covered the entire area. It rapidly became a blood mist, which was the Essence the old man was currently exploring, his fifth Essence. Although he hadn't completed the process, it still bolstered the power of his other Essences.

Behind him, the Dao Lord trembled in madness, performing an incantation gesture to unleash a divine ability. A beam of light shot toward Meng Hao at incredible speed, piercing through the starry sky. Simultaneously, the image of numerous sword projections became visible around the Dao Lord.

Almost in the blink of an eye, there were more than 10,000 of them!

His murderous aura was so strong that everything shook violently. Shockingly, behind each sword projection was a vicious spirit, which propelled the swords toward Meng Hao, making it seem as if Meng Hao was not facing one opponent, but rather 10,000 sword cultivators.

Last were the two 1-Essence cultivators. Their cultivation bases were relatively limited, and because of the pressure from Meng Hao, they paid the steepest price of the group. Blood sprayed out of their mouths, their eyes were bloodshot, and their jaws were tightly clenched. Neither of them had more than one Essence, but even still, they combined their power to produce the image of a sun.

Meng Hao looked at his four opponents, and then stepped down with his right foot. When he did, he passed the thirty meter mark to appear directly in front of the group.

As he stepped down, the starry sky rumbled, and an astonishing power exploded out from him. His right hand reached out to tap one of the pitch-black ox's horns. The ox let out a miserable shriek and collapsed into pieces. At the same time, the wave of Meng Hao's hand caused the red-haired old man's Essences to be obliterated. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he was sent spinning away.

Meng Hao turned, snorting coldly. The sound echoed out, slamming into the 10,000 sword projections, shattering them. The sword cultivator Dao Lord coughed up a mouthful of blood, and was already on the point of being killed, all by a mere snort. He instantly fell back.

As for the two 1-Essence Dao Realm cultivators, all it took was a mere look from Meng Hao. His gaze was like a sword that shattered their sun image, and left them coughing up blood and fleeing in retreat.

"Considering none of you have Outsider totem tattoos, I won't kill you," he said coolly. Then, he was in front of the rift. The red-haired old man and the others were completely shaken, and were now looking at Meng Hao with unmitigated awe.

Ignoring them, Meng Hao looked at the rift, eyes glittering. Then he sat down cross-legged.

"I'm waiting for you," he said calmly.

The only response was an icy cold harrumph, echoing out slowly from within the rift.


	12. Chapter 13

Chapter 1295: The Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea Arrives!

Meng Hao sat down cross-legged outside the enormous rift, waiting for the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea to arrive. For Meng Hao, this coming battle would be a true test of his battle prowess.

The person he wished to fight was one of the Lords of the Nine Mountains and Seas, someone that countless cultivators viewed with awe. He was the Mountain and Sea Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, and although he might not be the absolute most powerful among the Mountain and Sea Lords, he was still incredibly strong.

To Meng Hao, this would be a very important fight, considering that it was critical to helping his Grandpa Meng awaken from slumber. It was also key to ending the Mountain and Sea War. If he could defeat the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea in battle, then the war with the Eighth Mountain and Sea would be over.

Meng Hao wasn't completely confident in being able to win. His current battle prowess was equivalent to the 5-Essences level, and his divine sense was even beyond that. However... he would be facing a Mountain and Sea Lord!

Although his opponent would also be at the 5-Essences level, in terms of experience and cultivation, anyone with the status of Mountain and Sea Lord was years beyond Meng Hao. Within his Realm... he was essentially invincible when fighting anyone other than other Mountain and Sea Lords!

Furthermore, his five Essences would surely be extraordinary, the type that could send the entire world into darkness upon their unleashing.

Even though Meng Hao had already extinguished his first Soul Lamp, he still wasn't completely confident that he could win. After all... the nine Mountain and Sea Lords were the most esteemed entities within the entire Mountain and Sea Realm.

To become a Mountain and Sea Lord, one had to experience endless slaughter and conquer countless enemies. It was a long path of fighting and struggle to secure the position of being the Lord of one of the great Mountains and Seas.

"But I still want to meet this powerful expert... and fight him!" Meng Hao's eyes burned with the desire to do battle. Taking a deep breath, he slowly brought his urge to fight under control, then closed his eyes and calmed his heart.

The time had come to focus his energy!

That focusing of energy ensured that not a single ripple of power emanated out from him.

Days began to pass. On the first day, a muffled rumbling sound began to echo out from within the rift, causing the entire starry sky to distort briefly.

Meng Hao didn't open his eyes, but his heart thumped a bit faster for a moment before finally calming down.

On the second day, the muffled rumbling turned into five distinct booms. On the third day, those booming sounds rang out more than ten times. Meng Hao grew calmer, until even the sound of his heartbeat faded away from his consciousness. It was as if strength built upon strength, and the booming sounds were like a gentle breeze brushing against a towering mountain. [1. The last line in this paragraph is a huge nod to Jin Yong, the father of wuxia novels. It's actually a mnemonic from the Ning Yang Manual, a powerful martial arts manual in the Jin Yong universe. If you haven't read the Condor Trilogy, you should put it on your reading list. It should be considered part of the Old Testament for wuxia fans]

On the seventh day, the booming rang out ceaselessly. The starry sky outside of the rift was completely twisted and distorted, except for the portion where Meng Hao sat, which didn't seem to be affected.

The red-haired old man and his fellows, who were still there in the area surrounding the rift, did not leave. They remained several thousand meters away, sitting cross-legged, watching the scene play out. As the seven days went by, the anticipation in their hearts rose, and they began to breathe heavily. After witnessing Meng Hao's terrifying level of power, they had the deep desire to watch this coming battle.

It didn't matter whether Meng Hao won or lost in the end. In the cultivation world, the law of the jungle prevailed, so any cultivator who dared to challenge a Mountain and Sea Lord to battle was a person deserving of deep respect.

Even the fact that they were enemies could not suppress the respect and awe that came from meeting someone truly powerful.

Further off in the distance were the hundreds of thousands of cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea. They had set up camp there, nervous, but also unwilling to leave.

They were all waiting. Waiting... for the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea to emerge from the rift!

Meng Hao's expression was completely calm, and he almost didn't seem to be breathing. His energy was completely focused inward, without the slightest bit leaking out. It was almost as if he had become one with the starry sky; he was so calm that it was almost impossible to detect his existence.

The thunder-like booms that shook the Heavens didn't seem to affect him at all. He was so calm that he was like a still, waveless sea in a painting. He was simply waiting... waiting for the wind and storms to arrive, like a volcano preparing to erupt.

A massive pressure gradually filled the area around the rift, growing more intense. The pulsing frequency increased, and eventually it became clear that the two opponents were a counterpoint and foil to each other.

One embodied action, the other embodied calm!

Such action could shatter the highest Heavens, such calm was the stillness of a world in ruins!

Another day passed, and the sounds emanating from the rift grew even more intense. At the same time, Meng Hao became so still and calm that not a single trace of his aura was detectable...

It was at this point that, amidst the intense rumbling sounds, a tall and imposing figure appeared... within the rift.

It was a middle-aged man wearing a long white robe. His hair floated around him, and he looked threatening without being angry. His clothing seemed simple, and yet anyone who looked at him would be able to tell that he commanded supreme and ultimate respect.

He walked as if strolling, and yet every step he took caused countless booming sounds to echo out. It was as if his cultivation base was so powerful that, as he walked, he destroyed all obstacles in his path. His simple footfalls were the source of all the incredible booming sounds during the past days.

Almost as soon as he appeared within that enormous rift, intense pressure radiated out, sweeping across everything. The rift trembled, and opened wider. Ripples tore through the starry sky, ripping it up layer by layer. Several thousand meters away, the red-haired old man and his fellows all backed up, faces flickering as they clasped hands and bowed.

"We offer respectful greetings upon your arrival, Lord White!"

Further off in the distance, the hundreds of thousands of cultivators were getting very excited, and they too clasped their hands and bowed in the direction of the rift.

"We offer respectful greetings upon your arrival, Lord White!"

The Ninth Mountain had Lord Ji. The Eighth Mountain had Heavengod. The Seventh Mountain had Lord White, Sima Dao!

The voices of all the cultivators joined together, creating a powerful sound wave that shook Heaven and Earth. That, combined with the pressure radiating off of the white-robed man, caused the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea to shake.

Meng Hao, of course, was the main focus, but as the pressure crushed down onto him, his eyes remained closed and unmoving.

If you likened that boundless energy to pounding waves on a raging sea, then Meng Hao was a reef within that sea, remaining completely motionless regardless of how the sea howled.

If you likened the pressure coming from the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea to a wild tempest, then Meng Hao was a quiet, unmoving mountain in the midst of the wind!

At the same time, in the temple atop the Eighth Mountain, the masked Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea suddenly trembled, as if a catalyzing force had suddenly prodded him. It was as if his consciousness was now beginning to converge in the area, and he was attempting... to awaken.

The entire Eighth Mountain and Sea was shaken, except for Meng Hao. His aura, his soul, everything about him, was completely focused inwardly. He was as calm as placid waters, and was still like a motionless sea in a painting.

The Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea was still inside the rift, and the two of them had not officially met, and yet they had already used the clashing of their dispositions as their first skirmish.

A cold snort echoed out from the rift as Lord White suddenly lifted his right foot and then stepped out of the rift.

The intense pressure weighing down on the Eighth Mountain and Sea caused everything to shake. The starry sky twisted, and numerous planets trembled. Back on the Eighth Mountain, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea trembled, this time more intensely than before.

A calm voice then echoed out from within the rift to spread out through the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea, "You are the first person to ever dare to stand in my way..."

It was in that moment that his foot stepped completely out from the rift, placing Lord White half way into the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

Despite only being half way through the rift, the starry sky was trembling so violently it seemed it might collapse because of the power of the Mountains and Seas that was erupting off of Lord White.

As the starry sky shook, the cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea on all of the Heavengod Alliance's battlefields felt blood oozing out of the corners of their mouths. Their faces flickered, and regardless of their specific locations, they could sense the explosive pressure coming from above. It was like a mountain, crushing down, making it difficult for them to even rotate their cultivation bases.

It was exactly the opposite with the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea. Their faces lit up, and they could sense, not pressure, but power coming down from the starry sky above and melding into their bodies. Instantly, their battle prowess began to increase.

"Lord White has come! We offer respectful greetings upon your arrival, Lord White!"

"We offer respectful greetings, Lord White!"

"The Seventh Mountain and Sea is definitely going to win the war. Lord White is here!" The cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea were shouting in excitement, causing their voices to echo out across the battlefields in the Heavengod Alliance.

In comparison, the cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea felt their energy waning rapidly. Now that they were facing cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea whose energy was rocketing up, their faces went pale, and they subconsciously began to back up. Almost instantly, the Eighth Mountain and Sea cultivators were in a position to be completely routed on numerous fronts.

"... And you will be the last," continued the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, his voice grim as he... completely stepped out from within the rift!

"Lord White!" Several thousand meters away, the red-haired old man and the other Dao realm experts all clasped hands and bowed, their eyes shining with excitement.

"Lord White!" roared the hundreds of thousands of cultivators off in the distance.

"Lord White!" shouted all of the cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea.

RUMBLE!

Although the cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea could not actually see the arrival of the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, their hearts were trembling.

RUMBLE!

On the Eighth Mountain, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea in the palace was now shaking continuously, and it seemed as if the eyes beneath his mask might open at any moment.

RUMBLE!

Meng Hao's eyes suddenly snapped open, and suddenly, what had been the placid image of a sea in a painting transformed into a violently erupting volcano. That will to fight which had lurked deep inside of him exploded out, causing colors to flash in the sky, and the starry sky to fill with rumbling sounds. Numerous layers of ripples instantly shot out to fill the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea!

Meng Hao's willpower, his energy, his everything, all merged into an indescribable pressure that crushed down toward the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

"So you're the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea? I've been waiting for you for quite a long time!"

The Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea's eyes widened. The volcanic pressure which erupted from the formerly completely calm Meng Hao caused Lord White's energy to falter a bit, as if he had suddenly met his match. Massive rumbling rose up between the two, and the starry sky seemed to be on the verge of being torn apart.

All of a sudden, the cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea who had been backing up just now felt much more relaxed, and their excitement began to build.


	13. Chapter 14

Chapter 1296: THAT Spear!

"Is that the Mountain and Sea Lord, Heavengod?"

"That's definitely him. Only Heavengod would have the energy to sweep across the Eighth Mountain and Sea like that!" All of the cultivators from the Eighth Mountain and Sea were getting very excited.

Moments before, the feeling of being suppressed by the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea had overwhelmed them, but now that feeling was gone. However, despite all of the excitement, the Chief Dharma Protector of the Heavengod Society, as well as the other Dao Lords in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, were all completely shaken. Looks of bewilderment could be seen on their faces as they looked out into the starry sky at the source of the ripples that everyone else assumed to be coming from their Mountain and Sea Lord.

"That's not... the exalted Heavengod..." thought the Chief Dharma Protector, his heart trembling. He could sense that Heavengod was currently on the Eighth Mountain, and was still slumbering. In fact, all of the other Dao Lords of the Eighth Mountain and Sea all had similar sensations.

"If he's not the exalted Heavengod, then... who is he...?" That was the question running through the minds of the Chief Dharma Protector and the other Dao Lords. Then they all began to tremble as they... a certain person popped into their heads.

It was someone who had unleashed a shocking Daoist magic in battle recently, clearing the entire battlefield...

"Meng Hao!" said the Chief Dharma Protector, gasping. As soon as the name left his mouth, his heart filled with mixed emotions. As of this moment, he was certain that the person emanating an energy similar to that of a Mountain and Sea Lord was none other than Meng Hao.

The cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea were filled with excitement, but those from the Seventh Mountain and Sea were completely shocked. The huge disparity in their energy from moments ago was now gone, and very quickly the fighting resumed.

However, the fighting that did go on was not very intense; no one seemed to be very interested in fighting at the moment, and the fact that the battlefield had calmed down gave everyone a chance to focus their attention on that location off in the distance... where a fight was about to begin that would determine the fate of two of the great Mountains and Seas!

It was... a battle of Mountain and Sea Lords!

If Lord White was defeated, then the tide of battle would completely turn in favor of the Eighth Mountain and Sea. If the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea was actually killed, then the cultivators from that Mountain and Sea would be decimated, and the Seventh Mountain and Sea would suffer an unrecoverable loss.

However, if Lord White won, then the Eighth Mountain and Sea... would no longer exist.

Everyone was waiting... to see how this battle would play out!

RUMBLE!

Outside of the rift, Meng Hao's energy skyrocketed. The Paragon Bridge inside of him surged madly, and his cultivation base surged into rotation. His Soul Lamps flew out, his aura radiated out, and the power of his divine sense caused the starry sky to shake.

And then, he took a step forward.

That step was like the eruption of a volcano. Meng Hao's energy solidified around him, forming something like an impregnable wall which then crushed out toward Lord White.

Lord White stared at Meng Hao with a strange light gleaming in his eyes. His expression was not the least bit contemptuous, and in fact, he felt the situation to be a grave one. He could tell that Meng Hao was an incredible threat to him.

Seeing that manifestation of Meng Hao's energy speeding toward him, Lord White waved his hand, causing blinding white light to spill out, subsequently transforming into 1,000,000 sword projections, which proceeded to pierce out in all directions. Massive rumbling sounds echoed out as Meng Hao's converged energy was stabbed through countless times, and then collapsed.

In the middle of that collapse, Lord White strode forward, waving his finger toward Meng Hao, sending the 1,000,000 sword lights flowing toward him like a rumbling river.

From a distance, it looked like a river of stars sweeping along with the power to destroy entire worlds!

Shockingly, each beam of sword light contained terrifyingly destructive Dao Realm power that, when combined together, caused wild colors to flash in the starry sky.

Meng Hao's pupils constricted, and yet, he didn't back up. Instead, he took another step forward, clenching his hand into a fist and unleashing a punch.

It was none other than the Life-Extermination Fist!

The starlight shattered, and the sword beams distorted. Meng Hao's punch created an enormous vortex which rumbled as it spun, destroying the sword lights. From a distance, it seemed that the flow of that starry river had suddenly been obstructed.

However, things weren't over yet. Meng Hao took a third step, unleashing the Bedevilment Fist.

It was as if one willingly underwent bedevilment, a complete and eternal descent into madness. The Bedevilment Fist was backed by Meng Hao's energy and determination, smashing into the remaining sword lights, causing intense rumbling to rise up as more than half of them were completely shattered.

Meng Hao's eyes gleamed as he took a fourth step, and... the God-Slaying Fist made its appearance!

The will of the God-Slaying Fist could merge with Heaven and Earth and fuse into the starry sky, converging the power of one's fleshly body. A cultivators with an indestructible Allheaven cultivation base could thus destroy the Heavens, extinguish the Earth, as a God of Slaying!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

The starry sky shuddered and began to be torn apart layer by layer. The remaining sword lights shuddered, and then were shoved backward toward Lord White as if by some mad wind.

Meng Hao's eyes flickered with killing intent; without a moment's hesitation, he took a fifth step, performing an incantation gesture with his right hand that caused the Blood Demon to appear and lunge toward Lord White with gaping maw.

Lord White's pupils constricted. Snorting coldly, he said, "Interesting. You deserve for me to take you a bit seriously."

Next, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, then pushed down onto his chest. In conjunction with the pressing down, icy coldness appeared all around him, along with an aura of Essence.

However, this was not the Essence of ice, it was something else... something that could influence the power of Essence belonging to others. It was... emotionless extermination!

The key to being emotionless was to extinguish the seven emotions and six pleasures, to make oneself as cold as ice, and transform that into a will of extermination. As the finger waved through the air, Meng Hao shuddered as all of his blood suddenly iced up. Lord White's finger seemed to press down onto Meng Hao's soul, to wipe away all of his emotions!

Family love, friendship, romantic love...

In an instant, they seemed to be peeled away, separated from him, as if they were about to vanish. Meng Hao threw his head back and roared, causing a boundless light to shine off of him. The Paragon Bridge suddenly exploded out into the open, becoming a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering bridge that emanated an intense, archaic air.

As soon as the bridge appeared, everything began to shake, and Lord White's Essence of emotionless extermination suddenly grew still.

In that brief moment, Meng Hao's eyes glittered with coldness, and he shuddered. His starstone melted, and he transformed into a meteor, the manifestation of none other than the One Thought Stellar Transformation. Instantly, he swept out toward Lord White with incredible speed.

He was... trying to clinch the victory right now!

In the blink of an eye, he was closing with an explosive power that caused Lord White's brow to furrow. Then, Lord White extended his right hand and pushed out into the air.

The power of his peak 5-Essences cultivation base converged into a huge palm that rumbled through the air toward the meteor and then grabbed down onto it!

The clenching hand seemed like it could even crush a planet within its grasp, and cracking sounds could be heard as fissures spread out across the meteor's surface. However, before it could get any closer to Lord White, when it was still over a hundred meters away, it suddenly exploded.

In its place appeared an azure streak of light, moving with indescribable speed out from the rubble of the meteor. As it pierced through the enormous hand, it became clear that it was a huge azure roc!

In the blink of an eye, Meng Hao was almost directly in front of Lord White, baring claws that were sharp enough to slice metal and shatter rock. Even as he slashed out with his claws, the Mountain Consuming Incantation summoned numerous huge mountains which crushed down from above.

That still wasn't enough, though. Shockingly, a long spear suddenly appeared next to Meng Hao in azure roc-form. That spear was the same spear that Greed had unsealed, with the World Tree haft and the dragon tip.

That spear rumbled through the air directly toward Lord White's forehead.

All of this takes quite some time to describe, but actually took place in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. Normally speaking, considering the level of the cultivation bases involved, a fight between Meng Hao and Lord White could last for months or even years.

After all, this level of fighting was rarely seen in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and there was even the likelihood that the entire Eighth Mountain could be destroyed in the process.

However... assuming one party was willing to go all out, then the length of the fight could be shortened drastically. Right now, the person going all out was Meng Hao. The situation was one in which Lord White assumed that he wouldn't do such a thing, wouldn't risk his life so blithely, yet that was exactly what he did.

Not even Lord White could have guessed that this would happen. He frowned, and killing intent slowly filled his eyes. However, there was no time to ponder the matter. He immediately waved his right hand, causing his five fingernails to shatter and form into five crescent moons, which radiated a shocking curse power as they shot toward Meng Hao.

Rumbling filled the starry sky as Meng Hao's Mountain Consuming Incantation collapsed. The Paragon Bridge began to shake, and his azure roc-form's claws collapsed. Even as blood and gore spattered about, Meng Hao appeared and grabbed onto the spear. Then, the speed of the spear increased dramatically, and the tip stabbed toward Lord White's forehead, until it was only about seven inches away!

Lord White's eyes widened as an intense sensation of deadly crisis rose up within him. He opened his mouth and roared, a shocking sound which instantly caused a huge illusory projection to appear behind him, which was also roaring at Meng Hao.

The power was like a tempest, causing all light to dim!

The dragon on Meng Hao's long spear roared, but compared to the giant, it was weak. Lord White's roar caused the spear to begin to shatter, and within moments... it was nothing more than ash!

"Too weak," Lord White said coolly, although inwardly his heart was pounding with anxiety.

It was in that instant that the spear in Meng Hao's hand trembled.

"Demon Weapon, Lonelytomb!" Meng Hao said.

RUMBLE!

The collapse of the spear revealed that there was actually... another spear hidden inside of it!

That spear was pitch black, and seemed to be congealed from numerous souls. It was... Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, a precious treasure that was unique to... the Demon Sealers!

As soon as the spear appeared, Meng Hao's energy surged, and the spear shot onward toward Lord White's forehead.

Everything so far had been connected. First was his explosive opening attack, then his near death, the collapse of the meteor, the destruction of the mountains, the dispersal of the dragon spear. Apparently... all of that had been building up to... this spear attack!

Lord White's face completely fell!


	14. Chapter 15

**Chapter 1297: An Extraordinary Showdown!**

Everything had happened in the briefest of moments!

Lord White, Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, with a peak 5-Essences cultivation base, had experienced untold slaughter, but he could never have imagined that Meng Hao... would be so ruthless!

Meng Hao had attacked him over and over again, allowing himself to be wounded, his starstone to be shattered, his azure roc to be destroyed, and he himself to suffer serious internal injuries to the point where blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth.

All of that was... simply for the chance to unleash this shocking spear!

Meng Hao hadn't hesitated at all to be wounded for that chance, and that was because he understood the gap that existed between himself and Lord White. Although that gap wasn't huge, to cultivators of this level, it was the type of thing that could mean the difference between victory and defeat, between life and death!

And what Meng Hao wanted was not just victory or defeat, but rather... to kill his opponent and come out alive!

It had nothing to do with enmity or hatred. The only way to end the war was to kill Lord White. With him dead, Grandpa Meng would be safe. Furthermore, the explosive ripples that would be unleashed prior to his death were exactly what was needed to bring his grandfather's soul back.

Therefore he chose to use this spear. In fact, Meng Hao's personality was such that he didn't even hesitate to waste the precious spear that had been unsealed by Greed!

The destruction of that spear had been the feint needed to unleash Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, which now shot directly toward Lord White's forehead, bursting with power. Lord White had no time to react or even do anything before... the spear stabbed directly into his flesh!

A ripping sound could be heard as his flesh was torn apart, and then cracking sounds echoed out as his skull was shattered. Demon Weapon Lonelytomb stabbed directly into Lord White's forehead!

However, as that happened, no look of relief appeared on Meng Hao's face. Instead, his expression flickered, and his pupils constricted.

That was because, even as Lord White's forehead was pierced, and his eyes dimmed, he suddenly spoke.

"Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation." In the same moment that the words left his mouth, an aura erupted out of him that Meng Hao found very familiar.

Unexpectedly, it resembled... the aura of the Eternal stratum!

As that aura erupted out, the flesh on Lord White's forehead began to wriggle. Simultaneously, that aura spread out into Demon Weapon Lonelytomb and then toward Meng Hao.

To Lord White, the aura was a restorative power, but to Meng Hao, it was like a surging wild beast. At the same time, his own Eternal stratum roared madly. Apparently, these two different auras were as incompatible as water and fire!

After all, Meng Hao's Eternal stratum had been acquired by walking the road of Perfection to the very end. Then, through a series of chance occurrences, he had managed to merge it with the Eyeless Larva. However, in the most fundamental of ways, it actually had some connections to the Mountain and Sea Scripture.

Just as Meng Hao was about to put his spear away, Lord White grabbed it, then stared into Meng Hao's eyes. A vicious gleam could be seen in his own eyes, and the Eternal aura around him grew stronger. Shockingly, an illusory ancient scripture suddenly appeared behind him, upon which were written three characters!

Mountain and Sea Scripture!

As the ancient scripture opened, Lord White's aura began to grow stronger.

Almost in the same moment that the protection of the ancient scripture appeared, Meng Hao's Eternal stratum began to surge with even more madness. Suddenly, a piercing cry like that of a silkworm began to echo out from inside of him, and behind him, a shocking illusory image appeared.

It was... the Eyeless Larva!

This was the first time since the Eyeless Larva had become a part of his Eternal stratum that it ever appeared in this way. As soon as it became visible, it turned to Lord White and howled. [1. The Eyeless Larva was last mentioned in chapter 693 when Meng Hao used to it to acquire the Eternal stratum]

Lord White's face flickered with shock as he suddenly realized that Meng Hao had also... cultivated some of the Mountain and Sea Scripture!

"An incomplete Mountain and Sea Scripture, huh?" Lord White said with a cold snort. However, he was still shocked. He could sense the explosive violence within his Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation, and how it wished to attack the Eyeless Larva behind Meng Hao, and fight with it to the death.

Meng Hao's eyes went wide as he realized that his opponent intended to take away his Demon Weapon. He was not the type of person to let something like that happen lightly, so instead, he let go of it and uttered a single word.

"Detonate!" As soon as the word left his mouth, Demon Weapon Lonelytomb exploded with a huge bang. Once again, Lord White was injured, and yet, with his Eternal aura at work, he quickly began to recover.

Lord White looked deeply at Meng Hao. Without saying another word, he fell back to give himself time to heal and buy some more time. Earlier, he had not underestimated Meng Hao, but now... he wanted to kill him more than ever. It had been a very, very long time since he had experienced the sensation of imminent death that he had moments ago.

Were it not for the profundity of his divine ability, then with the way he had been stabbed in the forehead just now, while it wouldn't have killed him, it would have resulted in a grievous injury.

After the Demon Weapon exploded, it transformed into streams of black mist that swirled back to collect together near Meng Hao.

"The Mountain and Sea Scripture..." Meng Hao said, an unsightly expression on his face. From what he understood, the Mountain and Sea Scripture was a combination of the three classic scriptures of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Apparently, Lord White had actually cultivated the Mountain and Sea Scripture, but to a far higher level than Meng Hao. After all, Meng Hao had used fragments of the actual scripture, and then relied on his own deductive powers to make alterations as he had seen fit. [2. As a brief reminder, Meng Hao got the Sublime Spirit Scripture way back in the Reliance Sect. It set him on the path of Perfection, which eventually led to the Eternal. The Sublime Spirit Scripture was described as one of the three great classic scriptures, along with the Dao Divinity Scripture and the Heaven Severing Scripture. P.S. This line in the original Chinese actually contains a mistake which I fixed. If any of you are reading along in Chinese as well, you will probably notice this]

However, Meng Hao had the feeling that if his Eternal stratum could merge with the Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation of his opponent, then... his own Eternal stratum would increase by a whole level!

"I wonder if there is something beyond the Eternal...?" Meng Hao thought, his eyes shining brightly. All of a sudden, he had yet another reason to kill Lord White!

The wound on Lord White's forehead was rapidly healing up, and it seemed as if it would only be moments before it was completely restored. Meng Hao's eyes flickered, and he took two steps forward, which were his sixth and seventh steps respectively.

The instant that his seventh step landed, Meng Hao's energy spiked. Something like a roar echoed out to the ends of the starry sky as a terrifying foot suddenly appeared. It was like a planet descending from above, causing massive rumbling sounds to echo out as it crushed down toward Lord White!

This was none other than the ability he had learned from Su Yan, who was still in his bag of holding... the Seven God Steps!

As soon as that huge foot appeared up in the starry sky, Lord White's face fell yet again, filling with disbelief.

"The Seven God Steps? That's impossible!" Shockingly, he recognized this particular Daoist magic of Meng Hao's. Instantly, Lord White bit the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood.

That blood rapidly expanded, instantly transforming into a sea of blood, which seethed out across the starry sky to slam into the incoming foot.

In the resulting massive explosion, Meng Hao's energy surged, and the killing intent in his eyes intensified. Next, his left hand flashed in an incantation gesture, and the meat jelly appeared. Muttering disconsolately, it transformed into a set of armor which covered Meng Hao. Then, Meng Hao extended his right hand, and the copper mirror transformed into a beam of multicolored light as it, along with the grumbling parrot, transformed into... a pitch black Battle Weapon!

The instant the Battle Weapon appeared, Meng Hao's desire to fight exploded out. The starry sky went dark, and the void trembled. Meng Hao's murderous aura rose to shocking heights as he slashed his blade out toward the fleeing Lord White.

"DIE!" he roared.

The sensation of deadly crisis that exploded up within Lord White was impossible to describe. In fact, the sensation far, far exceeded the feeling he had experienced when Meng Hao had gone all-out to attack him with Demon Weapon Lonelytomb.

And yet, there was something different about it: Demon Weapon Lonelytomb had appeared completely unexpectedly, giving him no time to react. In this moment, although the sensation of deadly crisis was more intense, at least he had a moment to prepare.

Unfortunately... Lord White was still in the middle of utilizing his Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation to restore himself. He couldn't unleash his peak level of power, causing a vicious, intense gleam to appear in his eyes.

Glaring at Meng Hao, he roared, "Extermination!"

In that moment, Essence fluctuations appeared, which were none other than the ripples of the Essence of extermination!

"Power Essence!" He wasn't finished yet, though! As soon as the Essence of extermination appeared, a second shocking Essence aura roiled up inside of him. The void around him distorted, and boundless ripples spread out through the starry sky from his second Essence... the Essence of power!

That was not the power of the fleshly body, but rather... power incited from within the starry sky!

"Curse!

"Land!

"Time!" Lord White knew that this was a moment of extreme crisis, and as of this moment, fully realized how difficult it was to deal with Meng Hao. Furthermore, he also knew that he had lost out on an opportunity to seize the initiative. He had ceded that to Meng Hao, who was clearly extremely domineering. Once he got going, he kept going without stop!

Lord White had never encountered someone who fought like this in the past, but he could tell that once Meng Hao built up enough momentum, it would be difficult to stop him, and he would only continue to grow stronger.

"Five Essence Dao!" Lord White cried, spreading his hands out wide in Meng Hao's direction and then pushing forward. His clothes and hair whipped about, and his cultivation base exploded out, merging with the starry sky, connecting with the Heavens, drawing upon the boundless energy of Heaven and Earth, sucking it into his body.

It was like he became a huge black hole which consumed the energy of Heaven and Earth. It poured into his body, which became like a transfer point for that energy, which he then sent out... to become five different Essences!

This was a way of using Essence that was completely new to Meng Hao. Instead of drawing upon the powers of the world and wielding them, it took Heaven and Earth and transformed it within oneself. The latter was definitely more domineering than the former!

"Either die, or screw the hell off!" roared Lord White. His five Essences became five natural laws, filling the entire world, sweeping through the Heavens, instantly enveloping Meng Hao!

A will of extermination that could erase emotions and obliterate the soul!

A magic embodying the Essence of power that could crush the body and smash the mind!

A Dao of cursing that could defile the blood and eradicate blood vessels!

An Essence of land which could bury corpses and sever qi passageways!

The quintessence of Time, the ultimate of the five Essences, which could reach through Time to slaughter the enemy!

The starry sky trembled, and within that world of Essence and natural law, blood oozed out of Meng Hao's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. However his eyes were shining brightly, and his desire to fight was no less than before. Hefting the Battle Weapon, he... slashed it out in attack!

It was an extraordinary showdown!

The red-haired old man and the others had long since retreated from their position 3,000 meters away. They were now 30,000 meters away, where they sent their divine sense out to observe the fierce fighting going on between Meng Hao and Lord White. All four of their faces were completely pale, and their hearts were battered with waves of shock.


	15. Chapter 16

Chapter 1298: Reproaching Seal!

The pitch black Battle Weapon sliced through the starry sky, turning into a beam of mysterious light that could sever all things, extinguish all auras. It slashed into Lord White's five unleashed Essences, starting with the Essence of extermination. Meng Hao shuddered as the meat jelly armor absorbed the brunt of the force. The Battle Weapon sliced like a sharp knife through bamboo as it destroyed the Essence of extermination and continued onward.

In the blink of an eye, Lord White's magic of the Essence of power closed in. It was capable of disrupting all sorts of power, be they of the fleshly body or the cultivation base. It was like Lightness-in-Heaviness, and at the same time, Heaviness-in-Lightness. The intense disparity caused Meng Hao to cough up a mouthful of blood. His face paled as the meat jelly armor shivered.

"Sever!" Meng Hao roared, his eyes completely bloodshot. Disregarding any injuries, he used all of the power of the Battle Weapon to slash down. Rumbling sounds filled the starry sky, which seemed to be on the verge of being sliced apart. The Battle Weapon sliced through the Essence of power like a hot knife through butter!

However, the Dao of the curse Essence then became a boundless fog that completely surrounded Meng Hao. His body began to wither, and the meat jelly armor let out a plaintive cry; cracking sounds began to emanate, as if it were on the verge of shattering.

Lord White's Essences were far beyond those of ordinary 5-Essences Dao Sovereigns. They were terrifying to a degree that Meng Hao had never seen before!

"You're definitely not weak," Lord White said in a sinister voice. "However, in the end... you have too few Essences. As an Allheaven Dao Immortal, you are powerful, but you cannot truly defy the Heavens, nor can you defy me!" The curse power mist roiled, swirling around Meng Hao as if it wished to burrow into him through the pores on his skin.

A vicious expression could be seen on Meng Hao's face as the Battle Weapon slashed out with scintillating, mysterious light. Ignoring the serious injuries that were being inflicted on him, Meng Hao slashed through the curse power, toward Lord White!

However, there was still plenty of Essence power in between them. Next was the Essence of land, which filled the space between them with what seemed to be planets and continents.

At this point, the meat jelly armor shattered into pieces, which then reformed into the shape of the meat jelly. It seemed extremely weak, and immediately transformed into a gray light that shot back into Meng Hao's bag of holding.

He lost the meat jelly armor, but in the moment before it disappeared, it still helped him to resist the power of the Essence of land. Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth, but he still shot forward like lightning, like a shooting star, slamming into the Essence, slicing through with the Battle Weapon, backed by all the power of an Allheaven Dao Immortal.

The starry sky trembled, and everything dimmed. As the Battle Weapon slashed out, massive pressure exploded out, allowing Meng Hao to blast through the planets and continents to appear directly in front of Lord White.

However, it was in this moment that Lord White's final Essence erupted out. It was none other than Timeshift magic, which caused the world to distort and run in reverse. It was like a wind of time, which caused all of the other four Essences which Meng Hao had already vanquished... to suddenly appear again!

"No beginning, and no end. That is Time. Since you cannot defeat my five Essences magic, then you do not qualify to be my opponent!" As Lord White's voice undulated out, Meng Hao once again coughed up a mouthful of blood as his internal injuries flared. He could no longer sustain the Battle Weapon, which vanished, returning to the form of a copper mirror, which flew back into Meng Hao's bag of holding.

In that moment, the five Essences magic was restored, forming something like the image of a world up in the starry sky.

This was Lord White's five Essences world, a world in which the flow of time was distorted, in which lands rumbled, in which the power of extermination threw everything into chaos, in which extermination and curses flowed through Heaven and Earth, and which pulsed with the Essence of power. It was a shocking world which seemed capable of sweeping over anything.

It immediately began to rumble through the air, crashing down toward Meng Hao.

A sensation of deadly crisis surged up inside of Meng Hao. His eyes were bloodshot, and inside, he was sighing. However, in that very instant, the will to fight burned even hotter in his eyes.

"If a sudden onslaught won't work, then... I'll change styles!" Flames danced within Meng Hao's eyes. As the shocking Essence world crushed down toward him, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture, which instantly caused the fluctuations of the League of Demon Sealers to spring up inside him.

"The League of Demon Sealers can seal Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth. I wonder if perhaps... Essences can also be sealed?" Meng Hao's eyes flickered with a strange light as he became more convinced that his idea would work. Without any further hesitation, he performed an incantation gesture and then waved his finger toward the incoming Essence world.

Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!

RUMBLE!

Meng Hao's cultivation base, life force, soul, divine sense, everything that was him flowed into the Demon Sealing Hexing magic which he was unleashing.

That image of a world, which seemed so impossible to fight back against, all of a sudden seemed to slow down. Although no observer would notice this, Meng Hao could sense what was happening. As soon as he unleashed the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, countless, innumerable strands of light appeared to entangle the Essence world, causing it to falter.

"Its working!" Meng Hao's eyes glittered, and even as a look of shock appeared on Lord White's face, he performed another incantation gesture and then waved his finger again.

Demon Sealing, Seventh Hex!

Demon Sealing, Sixth Hex!

Demon Sealing, Fifth Hex!

Karma. Life-Death. Inside-Outside. Three Hexing magics all erupted out of Meng Hao, flowing out through his finger. Instantly, the starry sky went silent, and the Essence world experienced a Heaven-shaking, Earth-toppling transformation.

It stopped in place, and was now surrounded by a boundless gray mist, which writhed and seethed as numerous magical symbols appeared on its surface. That was none other than the manifestation of the Life-Death Hexing.

Simultaneously, Karma Threads appeared on the Essence world, spreading out into the void, connecting it to who-knew-how many people. Most of those threads connected it to Lord White, and yet, as of this moment, the Karma Threads were merging together to transform into numerous sealing marks!

This was Karmic Hexing!

Finally, a massive power of expulsion descended from the starry sky onto the Essence world. Suddenly, the Essence world experienced a bizarre transformation. First it increased in size dramatically, then it shrank down, as the power of the Inside-Outside Hex exploded out.

"Impossible!" Lord White cried hoarsely.

Meng Hao had experienced a sudden stroke of inspiration, and now his eyes were shining brightly as his four Hexing magics descended onto the Essence world. It was at this point that the Demon Sealing Jade within his bag of holding began to speak in its archaic voice after having been silent for so long.

"Demon Sealing Hexing magic can seal the Greater Demons of Heaven and Earth. This is Righteous Bestowal!

"Demon Sealing Hexing magic can seal the magic of all living things. This is the Reproaching Seal!"

Meng Hao's mind spun as the voice echoed out within him. He then raised his right hand, and his eyes shone mysteriously as he pushed out toward the Essence world.

"Reproaching Seal!" he said.

As soon as the two words left his mouth, a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering sound erupted out, causing the starry sky to tremble. At the same time, an enormous magical symbol appeared, which then shot down onto the Essence World, sealing it!

Sealing the Essences!

Instantly, the entire Essence world went still, almost as if it had been turned into stone. No ripples emanated from it, and its aura was gone. Lord White, who was hovering not too far off, experienced a backlash, and coughed up a huge mouthful of blood.

"This..." He didn't recognize the Demon Sealing Hexing magic, but it reminded him of something that had left him with a deep impression long ago, and that was...

"The Dao of Lord Li!" Lord White's face flickered as he realized that his connection with his Essence had been severed. Although it wasn't anything permanent, at the moment, he was completely incapable of unleashing Essence power.

Meng Hao was equally shaken. He looked at the sealed Essence world, and could sense the intense fluctuations of the Demon Sealing Hexing magic inside of him. Gradually, the glow in his eyes grew brighter.

Now, Lord White was looking at Meng Hao, not just with fear, but with the intense desire to kill him.

"Even without Essence, I can still cut you down!" he said, waving his sleeve. His right hand then shot out toward the starry sky in a clawing motion. Instantly, five rifts were torn open.

"Five Venoms of the Seventh Sea, sow chaos in the skies of the Mountains and Seas, disturb the peace of all living things!" Lord White bit the tip of his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood. Instantly, it became a blood sea which shot up toward the five rifts and then poured into them. Next, thumping sounds began to emanate out.

Apparently, there were entities inside of those rifts who were breaking through a barrier, attempting to pass through the rifts. With each thump, the starry sky trembled. Suddenly, cracking sounds could be heard as two spindly antennae burst out from within one of the rifts. They were followed by... a vicious bug which scuttled out rapidly. Soon, a 30,000-meter, pitch-black centipede appeared in the starry sky!

As soon as it appeared, it let out a shocking screech which caused all hearts to tremble!

Next, cracking sounds echoed out from the second rift as a crimson-red, three-horned viper popped out, tens of thousands of meters long, its forked tongue flickering, its eyes gleaming coldly. It threw its head back and howled as, all of a sudden, countless eyes appeared all over its body!

Next, cracking sounds could be heard from the third, fourth and fifth rifts, as more creatures emerged. There was an enormous scorpion, surrounded by swirling black mist, and a violet toad as big as a mountain.

Last of all was... a 30,000-meter long lizard with rugged scales that dripped with slime. It was a completely shocking sight!

"Five Venoms, kill this person!" Lord White's eyes flickered, and the five venomous creatures roared as they charged toward Meng Hao.


	16. Chapter 17

As the Five Venoms charged Meng Hao, Lord White backed up and urgently shot toward the Essence world that was frozen in place up above, in an attempt to restore his sealed Essences.

His heart was filled with vigilance; he almost felt as if he were fighting with his hands and feet tied. From the moment he had arrived in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, Meng Hao had interfered with him at every step. He almost felt as if he were being led down a path by his opponent, and had no choice but to follow.

It was a truly humiliating feeling. In the final analysis, the reason things had turned out this way all stemmed back to how Meng Hao had not held back in any way when he had attacked with that spear!

Although Lord White hadn't actually been at risk of being killed by that spear, it had lost him the initiative in the fight!

Right now, Meng Hao's eyes were glittering. He had already paid an enormous price to be able to fight with Lord White, and although he hadn't killed him, he had already forced him to use some of the Mountain and Sea Scripture.

Because Meng Hao held the initiative, he was able to slowly gain an advantage, and had luckily managed to seal his opponent's Essence. Even though it had come at heavy price, and he had suffered serious injuries, it was all worth it!

It was all because he had managed to control the rhythm of the battle this entire time. He had never given his opponent the chance to take the initiative. Therefore... he would definitely not give him the chance to do so right now!

"You want to restore your Essences? What makes you think I'll let you!?" Meng Hao eyed the Five Venoms briefly, but he had no time to deal with them; his target was only Lord White.

"It seems I haven't been using my Demon Sealing magic as much as I should. I've clearly underestimated it." Eyes flickering, he suddenly slapped his bag of holding, whereupon a roar echoed out. Then, the mastiff appeared in a beam of blood-colored light, flying out in spectacular fashion.

Next came an entire host of blackpod imps.

Meng Hao's eyes shone with a strange light. Now that he knew his Demon Sealing Hexing magic could seal Essences, he figured he might as well see the result... of using his current cultivation base to perform Righteous Bestowal!

"Righteous Bestowal!" Without any hesitation, he extended his right hand and then pointed out toward the mastiff. Instantly, the ripples of Demon Sealing Hexing magic began to emanate out from inside of him. The mastiff's body trembled, and then its energy exploded up. It began to grow larger, and its cultivation base power rose up rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the mastiff actually broke through from the great circle of the Ancient Realm into the Dao Realm!

Back in the Windswept Realm, Meng Hao had helped the mastiff consume the bat spirit. However, in order to help save Meng Hao, the mastiff had interrupted its breakthrough, leaving it stuck in the great circle of the Ancient Realm.

Now, with the aid of Righteous Bestowal, its cultivation base was able to continue to rise. It threw its head back and roared, then charged toward the Five Venoms. Next, Meng Hao looked at the blackpod imps, and unleashed another Righteous Bestowal!

Immediately, the blackpod imps began to transform drastically, allowing Meng Hao to sense a bit of the power of the Mountains and Seas on them. Of course, that was a power that only Meng Hao could detect. No one else, not even a Mountain and Sea Lord, could do so.

Meng Hao was quite shocked. After examining the mastiff a bit closer, he realized that he could sense the aura of the Mountain and Sea Realm surging within it! "So this is how Righteous Bestowal works. I can actually bestow them with the right to be acknowledged by the Mountain and Sea Realm, and allow them to borrow some of its power!"

The mastiff and the blackpod imps slammed into the Five Venoms; booms immediately began to shake the starry sky as a ferocious battle erupted.

Next, Meng Hao charged toward Lord White!

Lord White's pupils constricted, especially aftering seeing Meng Hao use Righteous Bestowal. Sighing, he realized that his plan of distracting Meng Hao with the Five Venoms while he himself unsealed his Essence, was a failure.

Lord White's expression suddenly turned calm. Sighing deeply, he looked at Meng Hao and said, "There is no enmity between us, we just have differing viewpoints... Well, it doesn't matter. You might be strong, but as a Mountain and Sea Lord, I'm above your ability to deal with... Since you keep trying, though, then... I'll just help you see the true power of a Mountain and Sea Lord."

His sigh caused the starry sky to tremble, and sent powerful ripples exploding out from his body. In the blink of an eye, they spread out to fill the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea.

"I am the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea..." he said softly, and suddenly, an illusory image appeared above his head. It was an image of a mountain, and of a sea!

When that image appeared, it emanated a shocking power. Rumbling sounds echoed out, and a mysterious light shone from Lord White's eyes as he raised his right hand up high, causing an intense burst of the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm to appear!

At the same time, Lord White began to emanate explosive pressure. Cracking sounds could be heard, the starry sky trembled, and the void distorted as the aura of the Mountain and Sea Realm grew ever stronger upon him.

Furthermore, the image of the mountain and the sea above him grew clearer and clearer.

As that happened, the starry sky of the Seventh Mountain and Sea seemed to drain, the void there grew dark, and life force was even sucked out of the heavenly bodies. Fissures spread out on the Seventh Mountain, as though the life were being extracted from it.

In the Seventh Sea, the sea beasts were trembling as their bodies visibly withered, and the sea itself began to dry up as its power and life force, the foundation of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, were pulled away... to Lord White!

A Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering white light began to shine off of him, a boundless glow that radiated throughout the Eighth Mountain and Sea, and instantly caught the attention of the other Mountain and Sea Lords within the Realm.

Lord White seemed immeasurably large, and the image of the mountain and sea above his head was now completely crystal clear. Looking at Meng Hao, he pointed his finger and said, "You're strong, but in the end... you're just an ordinary cultivator. I have transcended the identity of a cultivator, and have come to wield the power of one of the nine great Mountains and Seas. I... am the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

"In the Mountain and Sea Realm, no one can stand up to a Mountain and Sea Lord. I am the one who decides who lives and who dies.

"I call upon the power of the Mountains and Seas to crush you!"

As his voice echoed out, the aura of the Mountain and Sea Realm seethed around him, transforming into a white sun, which radiated indescribable pressure as it shot toward Meng Hao.

It was the type of attack that could not be sidestepped. It was backed by the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm, guided by the will of one of the great powers in the nine Mountains and Seas, the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

Lord White sighed softly. "For various personal reasons, I don't wish to waste any more of the power of the Mountain and Sea Realm than this. After all, I have existed in this Realm... for many, many years.

"Since you are dying at the hand of the Mountain and Sea Realm, you can at least die without any regrets." With that, Lord White waved his sleeve, causing the pressure of the Mountain and Sea Realm to increase dramatically.

Meng Hao looked at Lord White. "The Mountain and Sea Realm…?"

He laughed, and his eyes began to shine. Actually, his main strategy for this fight had two parts. The first part had been the spear gambit. After that, he had simply been waiting for his opponent... to draw upon the power of the Mountains and Seas.

"You want to use Mountain and Sea power in my presence?" Meng Hao waved his right hand, and suddenly, boundless amounts of Mountain and Sea power erupted out from within him. Immediately, Meng Hao's aura began to rise dramatically.

Lord White gaped in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"This..."

He had never, ever seen anyone other than a Mountain and Sea Lord unleash such a shocking amount of Mountain and Sea power. Furthermore, Meng Hao was clearly not a Mountain and Sea Lord. As such, Lord White's heart began to pound, and his face fell.

Meng Hao's eyes flashed as he continued, "You say you're the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, but do you know who the entire Mountain and Sea Realm belongs to?"

Even as the words left his mouth, rumbling sounds echoed out as, shockingly... nine mountains appeared above his head!

In addition to the nine mountains, there were also nine seas!

Nine Mountains! Nine Seas!

Although they were blurry and illusory, and far from the clear image of the mountain and sea above Lord White's head, the instant they appeared they caused the entire starry sky, the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, to rumble.

An intense pressure suddenly sprang out from Meng Hao.

Lord White's face completely fell yet again, and he began to tremble. Without even thinking about it, he immediately began to back up, his heart battered by waves of intense shock. Eyes wide with disbelief, he said, "That's... that's... Impossible! You're... you're actually the..."

Lord White's mind was reeling. Considering his level of willpower, there were few things that could ever strike him speechless. But now, he was more shaken than he had ever been.

"This is MY Mountain and Sea Realm," Meng Hao said coolly, reaching out his hand and making a grasping motion toward Lord White.

That grasping motion caused massive rumbling to echo out in Heaven and Earth. The starry sky shook violently as the power of the Mountains and Seas exploded out of Meng Hao. Powerful pressure surged toward Lord White, and an intense sensation of deadly crisis erupted within him. Without any hesitation, he bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood. Then he threw his head back and let out a bitter howl.

"Seventh Mountain and Sea!" Instantly, the power of the Seventh Mountain and Sea erupted out. The Seventh Sea grew dry, and the Seventh Mountain shook. The starry sky of the Seventh Mountain and Sea was on the verge of shattering, as even more Mountain and Sea power converged and shot toward Meng Hao.

In the celestial pond atop the Seventh Mountain, the Xuanwu turtle let out a bitter howl, a howl filled with pain and madness. Lord White used the increased amount of Mountain and Sea power to form another white sun, which clearly surpassed the level of power of any of the previous attacks he had used against Meng Hao during the battle.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE...

The starry sky fractured into pieces, and a massive boom filled the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea. Blood sprayed out of Lord White's mouth, and his body was sent spinning backward. His clothes were torn, and more blood sprayed out of his mouth before he finally came to a stop over a thousand meters away, looking completely bedraggled. When he looked up, his eyes shone with intense killing intent.

What he saw was Meng Hao, coughing up blood, also falling backward by hundreds and hundreds of meters. There was now nearly 3,000 meters between the two of them, and both of them saw the intensely murderous expressions in each others eyes.

RUMBLE!

Both of them flew forward in attack, unleashing a chaotic storm of divine abilities and magical techniques.

More intense booms rocked the Eighth Mountain and Sea as, in the following moments, they exchanged thousands of volleys. Each attack caused the starry sky to dim, and yet, they held nothing back.


	17. Chapter 18

RUMBLE!

Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth as Lord White's divine abilities merged with each other and slammed into him. He had no choice but to fall back, his injuries worsening. By now, it was clear that his Eternal stratum's regenerative power could not match the magnitude of his injuries.

As for Lord White, he had his Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation, which was truly a mighty asset. In fact, to Meng Hao's consternation, it ensured that even though Lord White was in a difficult situation, he still was not at the end of the line.

Killing intent swirled in Lord White's eyes, but secretly, he was shocked and even terrified. His mind had been racing after everything he had just seen, and he had actually been able to put the pieces of the puzzle together and thus... identify who Meng Hao really was.

"Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm! The one and only Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm... If I can kill him, it will certainly be a huge detriment to the Mountain and Sea Realm. That would definitely count as an incredible meritorious service! I'll receive incredible rewards!" The killing intent in his eyes grew even stronger. As soon as his attack had battered Meng Hao away, he suddenly raised his hand.

"Mountain and Sea Scripture!" he roared. Instantly, the ancient Mountain and Sea Scripture was projected behind him, radiating a mysterious light. Lord White suddenly clenched his hand into a fist, and then opened it.

"The Mountains have three Daos. First Dao, Man-Mountain!" Lord White performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing the aura of the Mountain and Sea Scripture radiating from him to surge. When the words 'man' and 'mountain' left his mouth, his speed increased by an indescribable level, and he shot forward to appear directly in front of Meng Hao. Then he raised his hands up and shoved them forward.

That motion caused his body to transform into a mountain. His cultivation base surged, and a Heaven-destroying, Earth-extinguishing power slammed into Meng Hao.

Meng Hao didn't even have a chance to dodge. Rumbling sounds echoed out, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. His chest caved in, and even as he shot backwards, a bloody gleam appeared in Lord White's eyes.

"Second Dao, Earth-Mountain!" With that, he vanished again, to reappear beneath Meng Hao. There, he transformed into an even more majestic mountain, which instantly shot upward toward Meng Hao!

His speed was so great that Meng Hao was yet again incapable of evading. The mountain slammed into him, shattering his bones and sending blood spraying out of his mouth. His life force weakened, and despite the fact that he wanted to either dodge or defend himself, he simply couldn't.

"Third Dao, Heaven-Mountain!" The instant his voice rang out, he appeared up above Meng Hao as a mountain even more enormous and shocking than the previous two!

Then, he crushed down onto Meng Hao!

BOOOOMMMMMM!

Blood sprayed from Meng Hao's mouth. His cultivation base was crushed, and his fleshly body was on the verge of falling apart. Even as the Heaven-Mountain faded away, Meng Hao tumbled backwards like a kite with its string cut.

Lord White's eyes widened. "Still not dead!?"

The three Mountain Daos were peak Daoist magics of the Mountain and Sea Scripture. He rarely used them and, when he did, it always resulted in the death of his opponent.

But clearly, Meng Hao, despite being seriously injured, was not dead. This caused Lord White to frown, and his killing intent to rise.

However, things weren't much better for Lord White, and blood was currently oozing out of his mouth. The Mountains and Seas' Three Daos and Three Magics were actually extremely difficult for him to control. "The Seas have three magics..."

Meng Hao was alarmed as he struggled to stay on his feet, and he immediately consumed some medicinal pills. His Eternal stratum was on the verge of being depleted, and his injuries were so severe that his organs were all shattered. In fact, his bones were only being kept from collapsing into fragments by sheer force of willpower. Whether it was his fleshly body or his cultivation base, Lord White's three attacks had virtually annihilated him.

Those three mountains left him in complete astonishment. He had never seen Daoist magics so shocking, and although they seemed relatively simple, their deadly attack power was beyond belief.

"So that's the Mountain and Sea Scripture, huh...?" he thought, panting. Then, he realized that apparently Lord White was about to unleash some other, similar Daoist magic. Shaken, he took advantage of this time when his opponent was preparing his next attack to suddenly walk in a very strange fashion.

Then, a brutal gleam appeared in his eyes as he murmured, "Withering Flame!"

Instantly, his body began to wither, as if he were burning his blood, transforming it into a flame that then raged outside of his body.

It was at this point that Lord White, eyes flickering with intense killing intent, unleashed his magical technique.

"First magic, Commoner's Magic. The Commoner's lot is his body, exterminate the body to exterminate the magic!" Lord White extended his hand and pointed his finger at Meng Hao. Instantly, the illusory ancient book behind him began to vibrate, and then, suddenly, Lord White actually vanished. When he reappeared, he was right in front of Meng Hao, towards whom he reached out with his finger.

That finger contained a bizarre magic, and Meng Hao sensed that if it touched him, his body would be broken and exterminated!

However, just before the finger touched him, Meng Hao's bizarre walking method suddenly caused the Dao of Time to be unleashed, and by the narrowest margin, he walked past Lord White, avoiding his finger attack. At the same time, a bizarre gleam appeared in Meng Hao's eyes.

"Demon Magic!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he began to emanate strange fluctuations, which merged with the flames, causing a stream of qi to fly out that rapidly formed a vortex.

Within that vortex, it was just possible to hear the sound of a beating heart that shook Heaven and Earth.

"Second magic, the Minister's Magic. The Minister inherits the bloodline, exterminate the blood to exterminate the body!" Roaring, Lord White waved his finger again, this time moving even faster. If this finger attack landed, then he would definitely destroy Meng Hao's blood.

However, in the moment before it landed, Meng Hao's shocking time-walking technique once again enabled him to barely avoid the danger. Lord White's face darkened, and he turned around to unleash the third magic!

"Third magic, the Emperor's Magic. Everything under Heaven belongs to the Emperor; where his words reach, the Emperor's Magic is boundless!" As he spoke, he unleashed the third finger attack, and instantly, his finger tapped down onto Meng Hao's forehead!

It was as if this moment... had been fated to occur from the beginning!

A tremor ran through Meng Hao, and in the instant that the finger tapped onto his forehead, he spat, "True Self Dao!"

As the words were spoken, a blurry image appeared behind him that looked exactly like him in every respect!

BOOOOMMMMMM!

A massive boom rang out as the Emperor's Magic caused the non-illusory version of Meng Hao to be instantly killed. First his soul was destroyed, then his blood withered away, and finally his body collapsed into a pile of mangled gore.

As for the illusory version, it rapidly backed up.

At the same time, a strange gleam appeared in Lord White's eyes. Performing an incantation gesture, he spread his arms wide.

"Star-Chain Eight Soulbanes, cut off the path of all souls being reborn!" As soon as the words left his mouth, eight beams of red light shot up into the air, transforming into eight chains of blood which completely locked down the entire area. In the blink of an eye, rumbling filled the air as the entire starry sky was locked down!

Within that area, the chains cut off everything. They exploded with the intensity of rumbling lightning and shot toward the illusory image of Meng Hao.

"Even if you have a rebirth magic that lets you send out a bit of your soul at a critical moment, you have been fated to die this day. My Eight Soulbanes is specifically designed to cut off the path of unattached souls. Your soul body will now be transformed into ash!" Lord White was nearly purple from the effort it took to unleash the Mountain and Sea Three Daos and Three Magics of the Mountains and Seas were enormously powerful, and were incredibly high level techniques. In fact, rumor had it that they were collectively a Paragon magic, which meant that even Lord White was not qualified to unleash them easily. Every time he did, he had to pay an enormous price.

A boom rang out as the eight chains of blood, bursting with the power of soul-extermination, landed on the illusory version of Meng Hao. However, they ended up passing right through him without hurting him in the least.

This scene caused Lord White to stare in complete shock.

"That's not a soul body?"

Even as Lord White's face fell, that illusory figure suddenly turned completely clear. It was actually the real Meng Hao!

Both in terms of his facial features and his physical frame, he looked exactly like the person Lord White had just killed. However, this was no soul body, but rather, a genuine fleshly body, though it seemed somewhat gaunt, as if it had lost a lot of qi and blood!

Because it was a fleshly body, the Eight Soulbanes were completely useless against it!

That was because, in the moment before death, Meng Hao was well aware that he could not do any more to fight back against the Three Daos and Three Magics of the Mountain and Sea Scripture. Therefore, he chose to use another method, something that would have a similar effect as the Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation. And that was none other than the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao!

He simply... created a body substitution!

In the critical moment, he used some of his own qi and blood, along with the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao, to create a clone, a clone which could stand in his place to die!

"Dammit!" Lord White's face fell, and he had to force himself to not cough up a mouthful of blood. The level of anger and frustration inside of him was impossible to describe. He had just paid an enormous price to unleash the Mountain and Sea Scripture's Three Daos and Three Magics. In terms of his longevity and the state of his body, both were a far cry from what they had been before.

He had been absolutely certain that Meng Hao was already dead, and had even unleashed his Eight Soulbanes. How could he ever have imagined that Meng Hao would have a body substitution magic!?

Now he was experiencing the same thing as Meng Hao had earlier when he had gone all out, regardless of the price, to make his killing move with the spear, only to be defeated by the Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation.

"This kid has GOT to die!" Lord White growled, glaring at Meng Hao. Gritting his teeth, he threw his hands up toward the starry sky, and a strange light gleamed in his eyes.

"Star-Chain Eight Soulbanes, lock down the starry sky. Oh great Dao Fang, please descend to help me... destroy everything!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the locked down section of the starry sky suddenly shuddered. Next, a roar of rage echoed out from within the void as an enormous figure suddenly appeared behind Lord White.

It was an enormous monkey holding a huge staff in its hand. Its eyes were crimson, and as soon as it looked over, Meng Hao's mind reeled with shock.

He had seen this figure before!

An unsightly expression appeared on his face. He had managed to escape the deadly situation moments ago, but he had now lost the initiative. He was seriously injured, so badly that every move he made caused his entire body to teeter on the verge of collapsing.

As soon as he saw the image of that monkey, he instantly knew who it was. It was... Dao Fang!

Dao Fang, who had suppressed the Essence of Divine Flame!

However, as soon as the image of Dao Fang appeared, the Essence of Divine Flame inside of Meng Hao suddenly erupted beyond his control. It flowed out from him, spreading out to fill the area, with him at the center, creating an entire world of flame.

Gradually, within that sea of flames, a shocking will converged.

"Dao Fang must die!" roared a voice filled with rage, enmity, and madness. At the same time, the Divine Flame began to form into a person.

It was a middle-aged man, wearing a set of flame armor, who was roaring at the image of the monkey.

Chapter 1300: A Projection of Dao Fang!


	18. Chapter 19

Meng Hao didn't know this man formed from the Essence of Divine Flame. However, there was something very familiar about him, and then Meng Hao recalled some of the things that had occurred in the land of Divine Flame.

The enormous eye there had been surrounded by raging fire, as if it had been the soul of the sea of flames.

Meng Hao's eyes flickered, as he came to the conclusion that this man was most likely... the same man whose enormous eye existed in the world of Divine Flame.

He was the same almighty expert from ancient times who had been imprisoned on Planet South Heaven in the Ninth Mountain and Sea by... Dao Fang!

In the same moment that this man appeared, back in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, beneath the surface of Planet South Heaven, the world of Divine Flame quaked as all of the Divine Flame there erupted out, setting the entire world aflame.

The enraged roaring there was echoed in the Eighth Mountain and Sea by the man standing in front of Meng Hao, forming a resonance.

"Dao Fang, you must die!", the man howled. It was as if the obsession which fueled this man's soul could never be eradicated. The projection of Dao Fang which had been summoned by Lord White began to tremble with both rage and enmity as he took a step forward. The sea of flames rumbled and churned as the man therein waved his hand, causing crashing flames to surge out like waves across the sea, directly toward... the projection of Dao Fang.

Meng Hao's mind was reeling, and as he narrowed his eyes, they began to glow with brilliant light. Off in the distance, Lord White was completely shocked. No matter how he considered the matter, he would never have imagined that the stream of Dao Fang's divine will would not instantly eradicate Meng Hao, but also... that Meng Hao would have an astonishing soul hidden on him!

Both that soul and Dao Fang exploded with astonishing energy that was not the energy of a Dao Sovereign, but actually exceeded that! It was... the energy of a Paragon!

RUUMMMMBLLLLLE!

A massive eruption of sound shook the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea. The eyes of Dao Fang's projection glowed with a strange light as he strode forward, brandishing that gigantic staff and then smashing it down toward the middle-aged man.

The man roared, eyes flashing with enmity as he performed a double-handed incantation gesture and then raised his hands up into the air, summoning a massive flame head, which grinned as ferociously as an evil spirit. With an unyielding roar and unmatchable madness, it shot forward in an attack that contained tens of thousands of years of hatred.

When they slammed into each other, the entire starry sky shook, and a massive shock wave swept out in all directions. When it hit Meng Hao, blood sprayed out of his mouth, and he staggered backward. As for Lord White, he was also seriously injured, and coughed up blood as he was shoved away.

However, even as they both fell back, even as the man in the flames began to fight with Dao Fang, both Meng Hao and Lord White ground to a halt and then instantly charged toward each other.

Their battle was not over. Despite the fact that both of them were like oil lamps on the verge of flickering out, even though both of them were seriously injured... they would still fight!

RUMBLE!

As they closed in on each other, the glow of magical techniques rose up, and the ripples of divine abilities spread out. The power of the Mountains and Seas was unleashed by both sides, and they even collided physically. In an instant, they exchanged thousands of volleys.

Their injuries worsened, and both of them were coughing up mouthfuls of blood. The bloody wounds which covered their bodies were a sight to see; not even the Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation that Lord White possessed could keep up.

After a moment, echoing booms rang out as the two of them fell back. They were spattered with blood, and their faces were twisted into vicious expressions. Lord White was gritting his teeth, and from the look in his eyes, he was throwing caution to the wind. He had already used virtually every technique and method he could think of, but was unable to take down Meng Hao. In fact, it was even possible to say that Meng Hao was... the most powerful opponent he had fought in his entire life!

"On this day, you will die!" he roared, hair flying about in disarray. He suddenly made a grasping motion, summoning nine pitch-black swords!

As soon as the nine black swords appeared, they began to emanate intense, acrid fumes. At the same time, countless vengeful ghosts began to swirl around them, letting out inaudible screams.

"With life comes death, with death comes life! Curse power can kill with a word, and its highest level is... Death Curse Magic!" Lord White's eyes gleamed with madness. As far as he was concerned, this Death Curse Magic was even more terrifying than the Three Daos and Three Magics of the Mountain and Sea Scripture. In fact, the Death Curse was something that even he, the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, had only unleashed once before in his entire life.

That was when he had become a Mountain and Sea Lord. In that battle royale, he had used this magic in a critical moment to secure victory. However, the price he paid... was that from that moment on, his cultivation base was eternally stuck at the 5-Essences level. Any progress beyond that would be extremely difficult.

Right now, he was using the curse magic a second time!

He didn't hesitate at all; changing his mind was something that he would never tolerate. The madness in his eyes grew more intense as he waved his hand; a droning sound then filled the air as one of the nine black swords shot toward him and stabbed him in the chest!

When the sword stabbed into him, Lord White let out an intense roar. At the same time, his divine sense erupted out explosively. Next, a second sword, a third sword, a fourth, and a fifth sword all stabbed into him one after another, one for each of his limbs. At this point, Lord White's divine sense was raging upward nonstop, to the point where even Meng Hao was shocked.

As of this moment, Lord White's divine sense was close to thirty percent that of a Paragon!

Things weren't over though. The sixth sword, seventh sword... and finally the eighth and ninth swords all stabbed into Lord White. Blood sprayed out of his mouth, and his flesh was a mangled mass of gore. Blood began to ooze out of his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and yet, his divine sense had reached a pinnacle; it was now at fifty percent of that of a Paragon!

The terrifying divine sense erupted out, shaking the starry sky. At the same time, Lord White's face twisted in an insane smile as he looked at Meng Hao and then said, "Death Curse!"

Instantly, his divine sense exploded out, materializing into an astonishing curse, a complex, pitch-black magical sealing symbol which shot toward Meng Hao. The curse power's foundation was divine sense, so the stronger the divine sense was, the stronger the curse would be.

And now, Lord White, in exchange for being stabbed through by the nine black swords, had increased his divine sense to the equivalent of fifty percent of a Paragon's divine sense. Because of that, to those at the 5-Essences level, this Death Curse... was invincible!

Intense rumbling echoed out as it closed in on the grim-faced Meng Hao, whose eyes shone with a strange light. As the curse neared him, he took a deep breath and then... erupted with divine sense!

RUMBLE!

Meng Hao's divine sense swept out across Heaven and Earth with mad intensity.

RUMMMMBLLLE!

He instantly went all out, fighting back with his own divine sense, which was at forty percent of the level of a Paragon.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE!

Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth, and oozed out of his eyes, ears, and nose. He was shaking violently, and yet, his divine sense still managed to hold up against the Death Curse. Off in the distance, Lord White coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, and his eyes filled with disbelief. He could sense how strong Meng Hao's divine sense was; it was clearly powerful enough that it could resist his Death Curse!

"This is impossible!" he cried. Unable to believe what was happening, he threw his head back and roared. The Death Curse Magic was not something he could sustain for very long, and if it didn't hit its target, the resulting backlash was something he wouldn't be able to endure.

It was in this very moment that, atop the Eighth Mountain, Meng Hao's grandfather, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, was shaking violently. The battle between Meng Hao and the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea was acting as an enormous catalyst to him!

In fact, his aura was now radiating off of the Eighth Mountain with increasing intensity.

However, Lord White was too preoccupied to notice that. As the saying goes, once you start riding a tiger, it's not easy to get off. He began to laugh maniacally, then took a deep breath and performed a double-handed incantation gesture, after which he slapped his own forehead.

"Mass Cloning! Focus the Joss Flame power of the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, utilize it to... transform!" As Lord White's voice echoed out like thunder, a ghost image suddenly sprang up as he transformed from one person into two. Those two became four, and then eight, and then sixteen...

Meng Hao's pupils constricted as Lord White rapidly created more than a hundred clones, each one of which emanated terrifying ripples and then... all began to self-detonate.

The power of those self-detonations bolstered the Death Curse Magic. Lord White's divine sense grew even more powerful, resulting in the magical sealing symbol growing rapidly larger and even more pitch black.

"DIE!" roared all of the collapsing versions of Lord White, clone and true self alike.

However, in the moment that the Death Curse Magic crushed Meng Hao's divine sense and was just about to land on him, he closed his eyes.

"The Dao is in My Heart. The Will is in My Eyes...

"I Shall Possess the Mountains and Seas... Seal the Heavens Incantation!" In the critical moment of this decisive battle, in the last insane attack, Meng Hao unleashed his Seal the Heavens Incantation!

The power of the Mountains and Seas rumbled down, and the will of the Mountains and Seas merged with Meng Hao's divine sense. The starry sky then erupted with power, with Meng Hao as the center of it all!

The starry sky collapsed and the void shattered. The Eighth Mountain and Sea shuddered, and the incoming Death Curse Magic was suddenly beaten back. Fissures spread out across the surface of the pitch black magical symbol, until finally, the combined power of the Seal the Heavens Incantation and Meng Hao's divine sense caused it to shatter. Cracking sounds rang out as it exploded into countless pieces!

BOOM!

The Death Curse Magic collapsed into numerous magical symbol fragments which swept out towards Lord White, instantly piercing into him.

Lord White let out a miserable shriek as the backlash power instantly withered him. Vast quantities of his blood were evaporated, and the shadow of death instantly enveloped his mind. However, there was nothing he could do to fight back; in fact, he could hardly even struggle.

"No, I am Lord White, I am the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, I can't die here..." Even in that moment, however, his body began to collapse, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

As of this moment, Meng Hao knew that he had secured victory. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, his consciousness began to fade. The victory he had just won had been a very, very difficult one!

Chapter 1301: Victory!


	19. Chapter 20

Chapter 1302: Critical Juncture...

It was a heavy price to pay, and despite how strong Meng Hao was, he still ended up being seriously injured. His consciousness was fading, and blood oozed out everywhere. Just when he was about to move to consume Lord White's Mountain and Sea Incantation, his mind reeled, and he turned to look at Lord White.

In that moment, Lord White was collapsing, hovering on the verge of death. However, an aura that was not of the Mountain and Sea Realm suddenly emanated out from him. It only lasted for a moment, but it managed to propel Lord White toward the rift that connected the Seventh Mountain and Sea with the Eighth. In the blink of an eye, he was on the verge of entering the rift.

Things had been going hazy for Meng Hao, but now he forced his head to clear. Without the slightest hesitation, he then took a step toward Lord White; he absolutely could not allow him to escape!

This had been a bitter battle, and Meng Hao was well aware that the victory he had eked out had come by chance, and definitely had not been a certainty from the outset. If the two of them fought again, he was not convinced he would be able to win again.

As Lord White neared the rift, killing intent boiled in Meng Hao's eyes. He then stretched his right hand out toward Lord White and made a grasping motion.

It was none other than the Star Plucking Magic!

He was using the absolute last scrap of energy that he had left to unleash this magic. Rumbling could be heard as Lord White suddenly began to tremble. He was already half-covered with fissures as Meng Hao latched onto him and began to drag him back.

It was in that moment that the shattered and bleeding Lord White suddenly opened his eyes, within which could not be seen even a trace of madness or despair. In fact, they were icy cold to the point where... they shone with merciless clarity.

Apparently, everything he had just done had been an act. His true intent had been to wait for Meng Hao to get so close that he couldn't evade the next attack.

"In the end... you're still just a bit too immature," Lord White said quietly. As of this moment, the feeling he gave off, both in terms of his energy and his words, were completely different from moments ago. He was not possessed. No... this was the true him!

The Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea!

His eyes were icy cold as he extended his right hand and performed an incantation gesture. Then he grabbed out in Meng Hao's direction, causing the starry sky to tremble as an indescribable, shocking power erupted out.

Despite his complete calm, blood sprayed out of his mouth, and his face went ashen. Perhaps he had been keeping the true nature of his personality hidden beneath the guise of insanity, but as for his injuries... they were very real. He had been seriously injured almost to the breaking point, and this attack was powered by the last bit of power he had.

He only had enough energy to make this one final attack. However, the way he had lured Meng Hao in, and his intense desire to kill him, showed how profoundly sinister Lord White was, and how adept he was at scheming!

He might be on the verge of lapsing into unconsciousness, and he might have run almost completely out of energy, but he could still eke out a victory in the end!

Meng Hao's face fell, and bitterness welled up in his heart as his Star Plucking Magic was destroyed by Lord White's grasping attack. Blood oozed out of the corners of Meng Hao's mouth, and his vision swam. He had no power to fight back, and as the attack closed in and became clearer, an unyielding gleam appeared within Meng Hao's eyes.

However, all of a sudden, a loud squawk echoed out from within Meng Hao's bag of holding. At this critical juncture, a multi-colored beam of light suddenly flew out, which was none other than... Lord Fifth!

Lord Fifth looked extremely pleased, and even let out a domineering squawk.

"Every time there's a critical moment, Lord Fifth takes the field to turn the tables!" the parrot howled, flapping its wings. "Hahaha! Lord Fifth has a fever, and there's only one cure! I've been waiting for this day for a very, very long time." All of a sudden, the Demonic cultivators from the Ninth Sea popped out.

It was a grand scene as they settled into formation... and prepared to sing.

"Come, come, sing together with Lord Fifth!"

The parrot's shrill voice echoed out in all directions, as did the completely shocking seafood song.

"I'm a seafood dish, I'm a seafood dish..."

As the seafood song echoed out, indescribable ripples appeared, which shot in the direction of Lord White's attack. When they slammed into each other, Lord White's attack shattered, transforming into infinite motes of light which slowly dissipated. It was at this point that the seafood song began to reach a climax.

"... I was a bad kid when I was young, I'm a little seafood dish! Lalalalala! Seafood dish. Dobedobedoooo. Little seafood dish! Hey you, in the white robe, come, come, sing along with Lord Fifth!" Suddenly, the parrot flapped its wings, looking almost infatuated. Within the rift, Lord White's eyes went wide, and he stared in complete and utter shock, his mind becoming a complete blank.

As the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, he held a position of supreme respect. He had assumed there was nothing he hadn't seen in his life... but he had never seen a parrot like this, who left him feeling completely overwhelmed. Then he heard singing that was so horrible it was impossible to even describe.

Even more astonishing was that after the parrot spoke, and as the singing echoed out, Lord White almost couldn't stop himself from joining in to sing along. It was a sensation that left him feeling as though his head would explode.

Before he could do anything, the ripples caused by the singing rumbled into the rift, inundating Lord White. He suddenly shivered, and then opened his mouth and began to sing.

"I'm your little, dear little seafood dish... AAAAGGHHHHHH!" Lord White only sang half a verse before he began to scream miserably. His eyes were wide with fear as he realized that his wounds were too serious, and he was beginning to lose consciousness. At this point, he knew that he would not be able to kill Meng Hao, so he gritted his teeth, causing that same aura from before to erupt out, the power that was not of the Mountain and Sea Realm. It wrapped him up and then dragged him into the rift.

Even as he vanished, he shouted out one more time in rage, "I'll be back!"

"Hey!" the parrot said, glaring. "Why are you leaving? Fudge, can't you give Lord Fifth some face?" The parrot's heart was actually thumping in complete fear, and now that Lord White was fleeing, it secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Letting out another angry squawk, it put the seafood dishes away and then puffed out its chest and looked back at Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's aura was already recovering, but he was still incredibly weak. Looking at the parrot, he chuckled, then glanced back at the rift, eyes flickering murderously.

It had been a difficult battle, even more difficult than Meng Hao could have anticipated. Although it seemed like he and the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea were evenly matched, Meng Hao knew that he was weaker by just a bit.

"I couldn't quite kill him..." he thought, sighing. He had gone all out with every bit of power that he could, and right now, his face sank with that realization. However, his eyes continued to flicker with cold killing intent.

He knew that Lord White was also seriously injured, and that it would take him some time to recover. When he did, he would return to the Eighth Mountain and Sea, whereupon their battle would continue.

Unfortunately, Meng Hao was not convinced that he would be able to come out on top next time.

A sense of crisis began to well up inside him, and he suddenly looked off into the distance, eyes glittering.

"When I used the Demon Sealing Hexing magic, Lord White blurted something about the Dao of Lord Li...

"I need to get my hands on the legacy of Lord Li as soon as possible. Only then will I be able to get a bit stronger before Lord White returns. Only then... will I be able to cut him down!"

A while back when he had been igniting his Soul Lamps, his divine sense had spread out explosively, filling the Eighth Mountain and Sea. At that time, he had caught sight... of Patriarch Reliance!

He took a step, and was off in the distance. Although his mind was a bit foggy, he forced himself to hang on, and let none of that state show on the outside. Inwardly, his defeated Eternal stratum was slowly awakening again.

"A month," he murmured. "I need a month before I'll recover fully." He frowned as he realized that although he needed a month, Lord White would surely recover more quickly than that.

The Eighth Mountain and Sea had already begun to rejoice. Although people weren't able to actually see the battlefield, they could sense that the pressure from the Seventh Mountain and Sea had vanished from the starry sky.

As that happened, the Seventh Mountain and Sea's cultivators' faces went ashen, and their expressions were that of horror. Although they didn't want to believe it, there was only one explanation for the reason why the aura of their Mountain and Sea Lord had vanished.

Their Mountain and Sea Lord... had been defeated in battle!

It didn't take long for that realization to sweep across the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea. Their morale instantly dropped, and their fighting spirit plummeted.

Contrariwise, the Eighth Mountain and Sea cultivators were bursting with power and excitement. Roaring, they went on the offensive, and instantly, fierce fighting broke out. This time, the ones to be beaten back over and over were not the cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, but rather, the Seventh!

Booms echoed out as the fighting once again resumed!

On the Eighth Mountain, Meng Hao's grandfather, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, was no longer trembling, but was calm. Apparently, his eyes were on the very verge of opening...

Meng Hao sped away. The red-haired old man and the other nearby hundreds of thousands of cultivators had long since backed up to an even further vantage point. The shocking battle they had witnessed left them trembling, and they simply watched as Meng Hao left.

They could sense that he was weak, but none of them dared to try to test him out...

Not even the red-haired old man had the courage to do so. He wouldn't attack Meng Hao unless his injuries were even worse than they were, or perhaps he was unconscious.

As Meng Hao left, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After reaching a point some distance away, where no one could see him, he stopped, blood oozing out of the corners of his mouth. He quickly consumed some medicinal pills, then closed his eyes and rotated his cultivation base.

In the same moment that Meng Hao closed his eyes, an intense sensation of deadly crisis suddenly welled up in him. He turned his head to see a young man stepping out of thin air.

As soon as he recognized who the young man was, Meng Hao's eyes gleamed with an intense light.

The young man looked excited, but kept his distance. When he realized he had been spotted, he clasped hands and bowed.

"Brother Meng, at long last we meet again. Thank you for giving me this chance. I've been waiting a very, very long time for this. I never imagined that in such a short period of time, you would... become so strong!"

This newcomer was none other than... Ji Dongyang!


	20. Chapter 21

Chapter 1303: Possessing and Consuming!

"Should I call you Ji Dongyang, or should I call you... the Ji Clan Patriarch?!" As Meng Hao looked at Ji Dongyang, his eyes narrowed, and his heart filled with vigilance. The sensation of deadly crisis continued to grow, to an extent that it was even clearer than when he had been fighting Lord White.

After all, Meng Hao was now at his absolute weakest, and the fact that Ji Dongyang was making his appearance right now proved one thing: he had been waiting and watching for quite some time. It would have been impossible for him to come across an opportunity like this based on chance alone.

One thing that led Meng Hao to suspect Ji Dongyang's true identity was how he had been able to follow him and spy on him for such an extended period of time without being detected. Therefore, Meng Hao had given voice to his guess as to who this person really was.

Furthermore, Ji Dongyang had slipped up and revealed a bit of vital information, perhaps because of his excitement at finally gaining the opportunity he had been waiting for. If he knew the truth, that Meng Hao had guessed who he really was based on a single sentence, he would be completely flabbergasted.

Ji Dongyang gaped for a moment, then chuckled and realized it didn't matter that Meng Hao knew who he was.

"Nowadays I prefer to go by Ji Dongyang, but in the past I was known as… Ji Tian!"

The instant the words left Ji Dongyang's mouth, Meng Hao's pupils constricted. Ji Tian was none other than the Ji Clan Patriarch, a powerful expert from the same era as the first generation Patriarch of the Fang Clan. In the struggle for the Lordship of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, he had come out on top.

"There's no need to try to buy time to heal. Your injuries are too serious to recover from in a short period of time. Even I would have to worry about Lord White, considering the level of his battle prowess. In fact, if I fought him, I would definitely lose.

"As for you, you've made me very, very happy...

"Deciding that you would be my ninth life was definitely the best choice I could have made... Come now, Meng Hao, become one with me. Become my ninth life. Then I will restore things to how they once were, taking the Ninth Mountain and Sea to fight back against the 33 Heavens and to resist their return.

"Sacrifice yourself, and you will help not just me, but the entire Mountain and Sea Realm! I can even promise you that I will take good care of the Fang Clan...

"Everything that is yours... will be mine." Ji Dongyang laughed heartily, and his eyes sparkled. However, he still didn't get close to Meng Hao. The battle he had just witnessed from a distance had left him completely shocked.

Meng Hao's face was very grim, but he didn't respond. He merely hovered in place, looking coldly at Ji Dongyang.

Meng Hao didn't move, nor did Ji Dongyang do anything rash. They stared at each other for about ten breaths of time, after which Ji Dongyang frowned, then suddenly took three steps toward Meng Hao.

As those three steps fell, Meng Hao's eyes flickered with killing intent, and he began to stride toward Ji Dongyang. That sudden movement caused Ji Dongyang's heart to tremble with surprise, and without even thinking about it, he fell back.

However, in the moment that he retreated, Meng Hao suddenly did the same thing, and in the blink of an eye, was far off in the distance.

Ji Dongyang's eyes flickered coldly, and he gave chase, sighing inwardly with relief. As he closed in, he extended his right hand, performed an incantation gesture, and pointed out. Instantly, a black stream of light shot toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao also sighed inwardly. He knew that dealing with Ji Dongyang would be difficult; for him to have reached the level he had indicated that he was the type of person who tested the waters before making a move. Obviously, he was an extremely cautious person.

Furthermore, Meng Hao was not in a position to be wasting energy. His injuries were very serious, and he had only just begun to recover. Frowning, his eyes flickered as he waved his hand toward the black beam of light, shattering it.

A boom echoed out, and the backlash caused blood to ooze out of his mouth. Behind him, Ji Dongyang laughed softly.

"Brother Meng, don't be so anxious. We still have plenty of time left. Your injuries are severe, and I'm patient. I'll just wait until you can't hold out any longer and pass out.

"Of course, you can always turn and fight if you want. I can guarantee that... before you manage to kill me, you'll lose consciousness. So you should really consider... whether or not you want to fight me." Ji Dongyang's eyes glittered as he looked at Meng Hao for a moment, then performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, causing ten beams of black light to shoot toward Meng Hao, each one filled with Karmic power.

Meng Hao didn't do anything in response, other than shoot off with increased speed. In the blink of an eye, he had increased the distance between them and was shooting, not in the direction of the Heavengod Alliance, but rather... toward the rift connecting the Seventh and Eighth Mountains and Seas!

He was now following exactly the same path Lord White had when he had fled.

Meng Hao moved with incredible speed, shooting past the red-haired old man and the other cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, who looked on in shock.

Ji Dongyang was hot in pursuit, face flickering in surprise. He had already made plans for what to do, regardless of whether Meng Hao attacked or not. If he didn't attack, he would force him into fighting. If he fought, then he would run him ragged. However, he had never predicted that Meng Hao would actually choose to enter the rift.

If he did that, he would be teleported to the Seventh Mountain and Sea. Doing that would put him in a situation of extreme peril, but it seemed Meng Hao felt the chances of survival were slightly better there.

Of course, the danger would be the same for Ji Dongyang. His chances of surviving... would be small. After all, if he went to the Seventh Mountain and Sea, his clone would be two Mountains and Seas away from his true self, adding latency to his reaction time, which could end up proving fatal.

Thus, his original plan had been to possess Meng Hao while in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. However, when the Seventh Mountain and Sea invaded, and Meng Hao had chosen not to leave, he had to delay his plan.

"Dammit!" Ji Dongyang's face flickered, and rumbling sounds echoed out as he pushed forward toward Meng Hao with greater speed. Even as Meng Hao closed in on the rift, killing intent flickered in Ji Dongyang's eyes, and he reached out and made a grasping gesture. Countless Karma Threads swirled out to form a huge hand which grabbed toward Meng Hao.

However, the hand was slow, and Meng Hao was already halfway into the rift. He seemed to be on the verge of escaping, and in this most critical of moments, Ji Dongyang had no time to think, no matter how cautious he wished to be. If he hesitated for even a moment, Meng Hao would vanish. Gritting his teeth, he surged with cultivation base power, and in conjunction with power from the Ninth Mountain and Sea, his energy spiked, and the majesty of a Mountain and Sea Lord erupted out.

The extra power came in the blink of an eye, and he transformed into afterimages as he shot toward Meng Hao, who was now eighty percent into the rift.

"Possession!" Ji Dongyang howled. His body seemed to be melting, and his soul was on the verge of flying out to possess Meng Hao. However, in that very instant... just as he was opening his mouth to spit out his soul, Meng Hao suddenly turned back, a derisive expression on his face. His mouth twisted into a cold smile, and from the look on his face, it seemed he had no plans whatsoever to flee. In fact, it appeared that everything had been a ruse to lure Ji Dongyang into a trap!

This was a tactic that he had just picked up from Lord White.

Ji Dongyang's eyes went wide.

"The Wolf Consumes All!" Meng Hao roared. Meng Hao truly did have only a tiny scrap of energy left inside of him, and the question had been how to use that scrap. And yet, this last bit of energy would be able to decide whether he won or lost against Ji Dongyang.

What he did was use that scrap of energy to stimulate Greed's life force Essence, which existed within his Dao Fruit. Instantly, the image of an enormous, Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering Heavenly Wolf appeared behind him, which threw its head back and howled!

Even as Ji Dongyang attempted to possess Meng Hao, the wolf attempted to consume Ji Dongyang!

One was attempting to possess, the other was attempting to consume, and it was impossible to determine who would succeed. Ji Dongyang's soul pierced into Meng Hao, all the way to his sea of consciousness, and simultaneously, Ji Dongyang's body transformed into life force quintessence which was consumed by the Heavenly Wolf.

Rumbling could be heard as Ji Dongyang vanished. A tremor ran through Meng Hao as an explosive power rose up from within him, propelling him away from the rift, whereupon he vanished.

Neither Meng Hao nor Ji Dongyang had any desire for any further consuming or possessing to play out in front of the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea. Both of them simultaneously teleported away. In the blink of an eye, they were gone, to reappear once more in a remote corner of the starry sky of the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

Meng Hao looked like a corpse as he floated there, his body occasionally emitting pulses of life force. Occasionally, rumbling could be heard, and at the same time, the injuries he had sustained in his battle with Lord White healed up, the result of the restorative powers gained by Meng Hao from consuming the life force of Ji Dongyang.

At the same time, his internal injuries were also healing rapidly!

However, there within Meng Hao's sea of consciousness, a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering battle was unfolding between the powers of consuming and possessing! The struggle had reached a critical moment, and whoever lost would definitely die!

Furthermore... it was certain that the price paid by one of them dying, would help the other party to grow stronger.

Ji Dongyang, in his craftiness and malevolence, had waited for this very specific moment to attack Meng Hao, when he was extremely weak in terms of cultivation base and divine sense. Therefore, if all had gone according to plan, Ji Dongyang would have been able to possess him with relative ease.

Ji Dongyang had prepared for a very long time for this one moment of possession. He had studied Meng Hao extensively, and was aware of his fearsome divine sense and extraordinary cultivation base. He knew that he was the future Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm, which, although terrifying in some ways, actually fueled his obsession. He had waited oh-so-patiently to possess Meng Hao, and just when he thought Meng Hao would escape his clutches and that everything had been for naught, the moment he had waited for had arrived; Meng Hao fought Lord White and ended up being in an extremely weak state.

That had been a moment of extreme excitement!

However, in all of his careful planning, there was the one area... in which he had slipped up.

Despite the fact that he had gone to the extent of following Meng Hao into the 33 Hells, he had not been able to follow him into the necropolis therein. In that moment of extreme crisis when everyone was sucked into the necropolis, he, like the Chief Dharma Protector of the Heavengod Society, had chosen to flee. Therefore, he had no idea about everything that had occurred with Greed.

Therefore, he had no idea about the very power which Meng Hao drew upon at the last moment, the life force Essence of Greed. Greed's Essence could consume everything, including Ji Dongyang's life force and his soul. Even the possession power he had unleashed was consumed!

"NO!" Several days later, something like an illusory howl of rage echoed out inside of Meng Hao. A tremor ran through him, and his eyes opened. As for his mouth, it had the same smile of derision that it had before.


	21. Chapter 22

Chapter 1304: Old Turtle Reliance!

At the same time, massive rumbling sounds echoed out from the Ninth Mountain. The whole mountain trembled as a will awakened, spreading out to fill the entire Ninth Mountain and Sea.

An enormous eye appeared above the Ninth Mountain, which seemed to burn with fires of rage. However, the flames soon died down, and within the pupil of the eye, the image of an old man became visible. He was sitting there cross-legged, a grim expression on his face. After a moment passed, though, he suddenly started laughing.

"I'm not sure whether I should thank you or hate you..." the old man murmured.

"The fact that I did not succeed comes as no surprise, and yet is also contrary to expectation... Had I succeeded, I would have no longer been myself. That strand of my will which usurped my true self would have become unprecedentedly powerful. I could have instantly transformed from being the weakest of the Mountain and Sea Lords, to being in the position to challenge Ksitigarbha.

"However, although the failure has lost me that chance, now that the strand of will has been destroyed, I... have finally regained full control of my faculties." There was an ancientness to the man that seemed to suggest that he had been asleep for a long time, but was now awakening.

"Meng Hao..." he murmured, looking thoughtfully off into the distance. After a long moment passed, he closed his eyes once again.

Meanwhile, back in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, Meng Hao opened his eyes as something like the rumble of thunder echoed out inside of him. At the moment, his injuries had recovered almost completely.

Ji Dongyang's possession had failed, and in fact, he had ended up being consumed by the life force Essence of Greed. He actually ended up becoming a wellspring of power to fuel the recovery of Meng Hao's wounds. In fact, Meng Hao liked to think that Ji Dongyang had delivered himself up as an aid to his recovery, instead of a real attempt at possession.

It wasn't that Ji Dongyang hadn't made his move at the correct time, or that it was not a critical point for Meng Hao. Rather, in a divine sense battle for possession, the slightest mistake could lead to death, and Ji Dongyang had made just such a mistake.

Meng Hao's eyes shone with a brilliant light as he recalled what had occurred in the divine sense battle. Finally, his eyes glittered, and he flickered into motion and vanished.

He did not spend any more time pondering the matter of Ji Dongyang. Although he had come out on top in the battle of possession, Meng Hao had still been in danger. He had never liked the Ji Clan to begin with, but after what had just happened, he was certain that he would meet with Ji Tian again one day, and settle things once and for all.

"Time is of the essence right now. The Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea will definitely be returning. Before he does, I need to get stronger. That's the only way to secure victory!" Meng Hao appeared in the starry sky, a thoughtful look on his face as he sent his divine sense rumbling out. In a short period of time, it spread out to cover the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea.

Everything that existed in the Eighth Mountain and Sea was now visible to him in his mind. He saw cultivators fighting in battles. He saw countless corpses and ruins. He also saw a certain something far off in a remote corner of the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

It was a huge land mass that almost looked like an island. There were mountains and rivers, cities and sects, mortals and cultivators all existing on that piece of land hanging in the starry sky. It seemed to be floating completely aimlessly among all of the mountains which existed there. On that huge land mass was a certain mountain that held an eternal place in Meng Hao's mind. It was... Mount Daqing.

Beneath the land mass was an enormous turtle, who supported it on his back. He was currently yawning lazily as he floated along, a smile on his face. Then he began to hum a little tune which echoed out in all directions.

In the instant that Meng Hao's divine sense swept over the turtle, the turtle shivered and stopped humming. His turtle eyes went wide, filling with a look of disbelief. He suddenly turned to look out into the starry sky and then... let out a miserable shriek.

"That divine sense... dammit! It's you! You little bastard! Ahhhhhhhh. The Patriarch fled all the way here and y-y-you... you actually found me!"

That turtle was none other than Patriarch Reliance.

His previously good mood suddenly turned wretched. He had just been feeling incredibly comfortable and at ease, but now he was shaking, overwhelmed with frustration, sadness, madness, and irritation.

In order to get away from Meng Hao, he had left Planet South Heaven and gone to Planet East Victory. Then he had fled to the Ruins of Immortality, and had finally pierced through the barrier between the Ninth Mountain and Sea to the Eighth. He had assumed that he would never see Meng Hao again in his life. How could he ever have imagined that he would actually... be found yet again?

"Dammit, DAMMIT!" roared the turtle, eyes bulging. "You intolerable bully! The Patriarch can't deal with this anymore!" A very uneasy feeling had risen up in his heart; Meng Hao's divine sense seemed so powerful it could cause him to explode. He threw his head back and let loose a long cry, causing rumbling sounds to echo out as his speed increased tenfold, and he shot off into the distance.

He felt truly wronged, and couldn't think of any sin he had committed to earn him this fate...

"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! The League of Demon Sealers is full of bastards! All bastards, I tell you!

"All those years ago, that psycho didn't think that beating me up by himself was enough, so he had to find a whole group of psychos to help beat me up. Bastards, bastards, BASTARDS!

"Fine, if you want to beat me up, I don't care. But you went so far as to seal me!? I refuse to give in! The Patriarch refuses to give in!" Even as Patriarch Reliance sped along, he roared out his grievances.

It was at that point that a bright light could be seen flickering on top of his head, where a young woman was seated. Laughing softly, she patted Patriarch Reliance's head and said, "Calm down, Patriarch. Isn't it a good thing to reunite with old friends?"

"Good thing, my ass! The League of Demon Sealers is full of bastards. That little bastard is a bastard among bastards!" Utterly discomfited, Patriarch Reliance took a deep breath, causing the starry sky to tremble. Boundless energy of Heaven and Earth poured toward him and was sucked in, whereupon he exploded with even greater speed, turning into a bright beam of light that shot off into the distance.

In another distant location, Meng Hao's eyes glittered.

"Gotcha," he said, snorting coldly. He was so familiar with old turtle Reliance that he couldn't be any more familiar. They had even fought each other more than once in the past.

"Let's see how you try to escape this time!" Meng Hao took a step forward, then vanished. When he reappeared from the teleportation, he was far off in the distance and immediately saw the panic-stricken Patriarch Reliance fleeing.

"Don't even dream of running, you old turtle!" he roared in a frightening tone.

"There's no need to see me off, you little bastard!" shouted Patriarch Reliance, trembling. He even went so far as to spit out some of the quintessence of his soul to unleash even greater speed, piercing through the void.

Meng Hao's expression was very serious, but a hint of laughter could be seen in his eyes. Every time he recalled what had occurred between him and this old turtle, it all seemed as if it had happened only yesterday.

His time in the Reliance Sect was something very precious to Meng Hao, and those years had somehow turned into his most idyllic memories.

Now that the turtle was fleeing with even greater speed, Meng Hao gave a cold harrumph, then extended his right hand and made a grasping motion as he unleashed the Star Plucking Magic. Instantly, the turtle's little tail was grabbed.

Rumbling sounds echoed out, and Patriarch Reliance's scalp felt like it was about to explode. The sensation of having his tail grabbed filled him with rage. A brutal gleam appeared in his eyes, and he turned his massive body around with stunning agility. Then, a vicious expression could be seen as he opened his mouth to gobble Meng Hao up.

"I'll give you some good fortune, you little bastard!"

"Mm-hmm," Meng Hao didn't even try to dodge to the side. He simply hovered in place. Patriarch Reliance's gaping maw lurched to a stop, and a grieving, maddened look appeared in his eyes.

"Meng Hao, you little bastard, we're going to fight to the death, right here, right now!" he roared. His energy spiked, and it looked like he really was going to go all-out in a battle to the death.

Meng Hao's expression was very serious, but then suddenly, his jaw dropped as he realized that although Patriarch Reliance seemed to be infuriated, and just on the verge of fighting to the death, the truth of the matter was that he was actually backing up. This felt very familiar to Meng Hao, and he suddenly recalled that bizarre body cultivator back in the Ninth Sea, who had done the exact same thing. Patriarch Reliance and that body cultivator were actually very similar in this regard. [1. Meng Hao fought the "bizarre body cultivator" back in chapter 1072. If you recall, he even had a turtle shell...]

Patriarch Reliance was instantly on the run again, and had already put quite a distance between them. He was going all out... to flee! Furthermore, a complacent gleam had already appeared in his eyes.

"So, the little bastard doesn't quite measure up to the Patriarch in terms of intelligence. Haha! He thought I was going to fight him to the death, but it turns out my real plan was to run away!" Even as Patriarch Reliance was rejoicing in the midst of his escape, and was beginning to feel quite pleased with himself, a boom rang out, and the void up ahead of him shattered. A huge rift opened up, and a tempest burst out, blocking Patriarch Reliance's path.

Patriarch Reliance's beady eyes went wide, and he quickly changed directions. However, it only took a moment before the same thing happened, whereupon he changed directions again.

Meng Hao, of course, was right on his tail, leisurely following him around and waving his finger, causing the starry sky to distort and shatter. Patriarch Reliance's heart was beginning to pound in shock, and he suddenly howled, "How come you're so powerful, you little bastard? Psycho! The League of Demon Sealers is full of psychos!"

All of Patriarch Reliance's paths were blocked. Finally, he waved his tail, and suddenly everything around him began to tremble. Apparently, he had been building up his power, and was now about to burst out in one final attempt to free himself.

However, even as he powered up, he unexpectedly didn't flee, but instead charged Meng Hao. Inwardly, he was so arrogant that he actually believed himself powerful enough to personally handle Meng Hao.

Roaring, Patriarch Reliance closed in on Meng Hao. "Hmmmphhh! The Patriarch is the smartest yet again! When you think I'm going to fight to the death, I flee. Then, when you think I'm going to flee, I decide to stake my life!"

Seeing this new development caused a strange expression to appear on Meng Hao's face. It was definitely true that he was having a hard time keeping up with Patriarch Reliance's train of thought. Just when he seemed to be on the verge of escaping, he would attack. Meng Hao smiled bitterly and then extended his hand. Rumbling sounds could be heard as a huge illusory hand appeared, which grabbed viciously toward Patriarch Reliance.

A boom echoed out as the hand grabbed onto Patriarch Reliance and began to squeeze. However, Patriarch Reliance let out a roar, causing golden light to glitter out from his body, shattering Meng Hao's illusory hand.

"Hah! The Patriarch is invincible!" he roared. "Are you scared yet, Meng Hao, you little bastard?!" He glared at Meng Hao, the whiskers on his face floating about in bizarre fashion, making him look very intimidating.


	22. Chapter 23

Chapter 1305: Legacy Door!

Meng Hao sighed at the sight of the blustering Patriarch Reliance, and suddenly felt a headache coming on. "I never smacked you on the head when you were little, did I?"

Unfortunately, Meng Hao's words only served to rile up Patriarch Reliance even more. His eyes turned bright red as he apparently remembered something, whereupon he roared, "Meng Hao you little bastard, I'm going to end things between us right now! Take THIS!"

Howling, energy surging, Patriarch Reliance began to move his relatively stumpy legs in a special pattern. His eyes began to glow brightly as, unexpectedly, his qi and blood began to flow in a unique way, as if he really were going to go all-out in a fight to the death.

However, what actually happened was that an enormous teleportation portal popped into existence around him. In the blink of an eye, it activated, teleporting Patriarch Reliance away.

Even as he vanished, his smug laughter echoed out, along with the following words: "The Patriarch is out! Don't bother to come looking for me ever again, I'm sick of you!"

Meng Hao could only imagine how pleased Patriarch Reliance must be with himself at the moment. A strange look on his face, Meng Hao took a step forward and then vanished.

In another stretch of the starry sky of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, Patriarch Reliance's massive form suddenly appeared, along with ringing laughter.

"I, the Patriarch, am intelligent, dashing, extraordinary, and completely invincible! Did that wimpy little Meng Hao really dare to try to compare himself to me?" Patriarch Reliance looked extremely proud, as though he were standing at the pinnacle of all intelligence, looking down at everyone else far, far below.

However, even as he was sighing emotionally, a dry cough could be heard coming from off to the side.

Patriarch Reliance gaped in astonishment.

"Hallucinating," he said. "I must be hallucinating. How come that cough sounded so much like that little bastard?" Heart thumping, Patriarch Reliance looked to the side to find Meng Hao right there next to him. His eyes widened.

In terms of size, Meng Hao was like nothing compared to Patriarch Reliance's enormity. But that didn't stop him from reaching out, grabbing one of Patriarch Reliance's whiskers, and then flinging him out through the starry sky, sending him spinning round and round.

Then, a huge boom could be heard as he landed not too far off in the distance.

Patriarch Reliance roared in rage, then shot back toward Meng Hao, mouth wide open to devour him. But then Meng Hao snorted coldly, and Patriarch Reliance let out a yelp and closed his mouth.

"Aaaahhhhhh! I'm going crazy! Dammit! Dammit! I can't fight you, can't run away from you, can't even eat you! The League of Demon Sealers is full of bastards! I'm going to kill all of you people!" Patriarch Reliance's roars transformed into sound waves that rumbled out through the starry sky. At the same time, he backed up at top speed, shaking his back slightly.

"Disciples of all generations of the Reliance Sect, get out here and kill this guy!" When Patriarch Reliance shook his back slightly, it was like an earthquake as far as the State of Zhao was concerned. Almost immediately, hundreds of people flew out, after which they stared at Meng Hao in astonishment. It was hard to say who did it first, but after a moment of gaping, they began to clasp hands and bow to him.

"Greetings, Junior Patriarch!"

"It's the Junior Patriarch? Greetings, Junior Patriarch..."

These people actually recognized who Meng Hao was. After all, Meng Hao had encountered this group of people back in the Milky Way Sea on Planet South Heaven. Back then, Patriarch Reliance, believing himself to be a profound schemer with incredible foresight, had publicly acknowledged Meng Hao's Patriarchal status, all in an attempt to divert his suspicions. [1. Meng Hao got called Patriarch by the cultivators in the State of Xiao/Zhao back in chapter 647]

When Patriarch Reliance saw all of the cultivators clasping hands and bowing to Meng Hao, the rage in his heart burned hotter than ever. Now, instead of trying to consume Meng Hao, he tried to crush him with his head.

By this point, he knew that he wouldn't be able to escape. Meng Hao was so fast that it left him sighing, so the only thing he could do now was ram Meng Hao with his body, which at this moment seemed as big as a planet whizzing through space.

"Stop fussing," Meng Hao said with a frown, then smacked out with his right hand.

An intense slapping sound echoed from Patriarch Reliance's head, and he was sent staggering backward. Angered to the point of madness, he roared, "Who's making a fuss? I'm perfectly calm! Y-y-you... you tyrant!

"In all my years of roaming the Mountain and Sea Realm, the worst thing that ever happened to me was running into you bastards from the League of Demon Sealers. You people are so unreasonable!" Patriarch Reliance appeared to be on the verge of tears. By now, he could sense how powerful Meng Hao was, and his heart was pounding as a result. However, he still didn't want to give in. Eyes burning with decisiveness, he opened his mouth and roared, causing innumerable magical symbols to flicker all over his body. Apparently, he was attempting to break through the seals on his body.

Rumbling could be heard as a massive energy burst out, something that caused even Meng Hao's eyes to widen.

"Back then, the people from the League of Demon Sealers had to team up to seal him," Meng Hao said softly. "It seems Patriarch Reliance really is remarkable." With that, he slapped his hand out again.

A boom rang out as Patriarch Reliance was once again sent spinning. At the same time, his enraged roar echoed out.

This time the sound was multiple times louder than his previous shouts. It transformed into a roaring windstorm that swept out. Simultaneously, a huge, terrifying image was projected behind him.

"You and me are going at it to the death!" he raged. "You piss me off so much! SO MUCH!" The countless, densely-packed magical symbols flickered brightly, looking almost like a huge net covering Patriarch Reliance.

However, Patriarch Reliance's energy spiked, and the golden magical symbols began to separate from him and float out into the starry sky, as the shocking energy on Patriarch Reliance grew even stronger.

As the starry sky rumbled and shook, Meng Hao's eyes shone with a strange light. This was not his first time getting into a showdown with Patriarch Reliance. However, on the previous occasions, his cultivation base had not been powerful enough, and he hadn't pushed Patriarch Reliance into such a corner. Now, the old turtle had no options left, and was really going crazy!

Meng Hao's eyes flickered as he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and then pointed at Patriarch Reliance.

"Eighth Demon Sealing Hex!"

Instantly, Patriarch Reliance ground to a halt. At the same time, the golden magical symbols floating around him blazed with light and then pressed back down onto him. Patriarch Reliance went stiff, and his eyes widened as he glared furiously at Meng Hao. However, there was simply nothing he could do against the Demon Sealing Hex.

"Now that's a good boy," Meng Hao said, stepped forward and patting Patriarch Reliance on the head. Patriarch Reliance glared at him angrily, but was incapable of even moving, and could only make slight whimpering sounds.

Meng Hao felt a bit bad, so he looked at Patriarch Reliance and said, "Patriarch, I have my own problems to deal with. Just stop struggling. You know, even becoming my mount wouldn't be too embarrassing, right? Look, how about this? Just let me get Lord Li's legacy, and then if you don't feel like coming along with me after that, you can just go on your own way."

Patriarch Reliance looked up in thought, and even Meng Hao could tell that he was planning something. However, he ignored that and flickered into motion, appearing down on Patriarch Reliance's back. The hundreds of cultivators that had flown up all continued to bow to him respectfully from a distance, not daring to get near him.

Meng Hao looked around before stepping forward to appear in one of the low-lying areas in the State of Zhao, on the shore of a lake. Guyiding Tri-Rain was standing there looking very charming, and as Meng Hao approached, she smiled.

Their gazes met, and they laughed happily.

"I haven't forgotten about my promise to you," he said. "I will help you become a sea one day."

"Oh, I've already become a sea," she replied, covering her smile with her hand.

Startled, Meng Hao looked out at the lake, and then looked at Mount Daqing off in the distance. Finally, he nodded thoughtfully. Then he suddenly sank down into the ground, moving downward into the depths of the State of Zhao. Down and down he went, sending his divine sense ahead to lock down onto a certain position at the very bottom of the State of Zhao, where it actually met with Patriarch Reliance's back. There... was a door!

However, as Meng Hao got close to it, Patriarch Reliance's body suddenly shuddered as he violently cast off the Eighth Hex. At the same time, a violent energy began to build up.

Rumbling could be heard as the golden magical symbols seemed to once again be on the verge of being cast off.

The lands trembled, a sensation Meng Hao could clearly experience considering how far down he was. Frowning, his right hand flashed with an incantation gesture. This time, the wave of his finger unleashed the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex. Patriarch Reliance once again roared, body trembling. However, Meng Hao's Seventh Hex formed a resonance with the hex inside of him, and once again he was stabilized.

"Don't get so excited," Meng Hao consoled calmly. "I'm just here to take the legacy. After that you can go. I've known for years that you were here in the Eighth Mountain and Sea and still never came looking for you to be my mount." With that, Meng Hao took a step forward toward the door.

A faint light surrounded the door, and as Meng Hao neared it, he could sense familiar fluctuations. It even seemed as if something were calling to him!

Those fluctuations were those of the League of Demon Sealers, and the calling seemed to send his Demon Sealing Hexing magic into sudden motion. In fact, the ancient Demon Sealing Jade inside of his bag of holding was also vibrating.

"Definitely the League of Demon Sealers... In that case, I wonder... what generation Demon Sealer Lord Li was?!" A strange light shone in Meng Hao's eyes as his previous speculations were confirmed by at least seventy percent.

However, even as Meng Hao neared the door, and the sensation of a resonance grew even stronger, Patriarch Reliance once again began to struggle mightily, as if he had been pricked. As he roared, the golden magical symbols once again began to shake, as if... they were just about to collapse.

Even more shocking was that a powerful aura was rising up within Patriarch Reliance. Unexpectedly... it was similar to the Dao Realm, and it was rising rapidly!

1-Essence. 2-Essences. 3-Essences Dao Lord...

Amidst all the rumbling, Meng Hao frowned. If he couldn't get Patriarch Reliance to calm down, it could affect his attempt to acquire the legacy.

"Patriarch, calm down. Be a good boy." Meng Hao stamped his right foot down, shattering the connection between Patriarch Reliance's shell and the land mass above it. As that happened... a pitch-black turtle shell was revealed, as well as numerous shocking spikes which were imbedded therein!

Furthermore... something else was visible on the turtle shell, off in the distance. It was... something that had slowly been twisted over time as Patriarch Reliance had grown up. It was... a line of writing.

As soon as Patriarch Reliance realized what was happening, he roared in fury and embarrassment: "Hey, don't look at that!"


	23. Chapter 24

Patriarch Reliance was intensely angry and embarrassed. Shaking, he roared as he attempted to cast off Meng Hao's Demon Sealing Hexing magic. It was possible now to see how enraged he was because of the characters written on his back...

Meng Hao gaped in shock as he studied the line of characters which had been warped and faded over time as Patriarch Reliance grew up. Soon... a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Meng Hao's turtle..." he read. His eyes went wide, and he cleared his throat. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then he thought about what had happened with his Wooden Time Sword and Stepdad Ke's terracotta soldier, and gradually he understood. [1. You might remember how Meng Hao buried the Wooden Time Swords in chapter 592 and then one of them came back in chapter 742 as the precious treasure of the Solitary Sword Sect. And of course, the terracotta soldier waited for Meng Hao in the Fang Clan Ancestral Land for many years. The "Meng Hao's turtle" line is from chapter 584]

Everything that had happened back in the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect had seemed illusory, but the truth was... by means of the divine ability of the Demon spirit Night, it was actually real. As of this moment, Meng Hao felt completely shaken.

"So it turns out that the turtle I saw in that pagoda in the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect really was the young Patriarch Reliance?" Even as Meng Hao pondered the matter, Patriarch Reliance roared in rage.

"I figured it out a while ago, Meng Hao you little bastard! Long, long ago I somehow ran into you, and y-y-you... you actually had the audacity to carve words into my back!"

The expression on Meng Hao's face grew more wry as he realized that, in addition to the turtle's pride, the main reason Patriarch Reliance didn't want to become his mount could very likely be... the words he himself had carved onto his back.

Perhaps if someone else had become the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer and had tried to make him a mount... then Patriarch Reliance wouldn't have refused so vehemently.

Meng Hao's thoughts were in a jumble. As of this moment, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Dao of Time and grasped onto some ideas regarding it, but at the same time clear enlightenment evaded him.

Meng Hao cleared his throat and said, "Ahem. Listen, Patriarch, being stubborn isn't a good personality trait, you know."

Ignoring the roars of Patriarch Reliance, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and then waved his finger a few more times. Instantly, Demon Sealing Hexing magic was unleashed, landing on Patriarch Reliance and causing him to shiver. The golden magical symbols surrounding him flared with bright light, completely suppressing him.

In that moment, Patriarch Reliance was immobilized, hovering in the starry sky and unable to do anything except whimper, which caused an intense feeling of unfairness to well up in his heart.

Meng Hao flashed into motion; in the blink of an eye, he was in front of the door, and then he stepped into it. As he did, the fluctuations of the League of Demon Sealers inside of him exploded out.

The call and resonance grew to a shocking level, and Meng Hao's mind reeled. At the same time, the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex, the Body Hexing Magic, was unleashed. Next was the Seventh Hex, Karmic Hexing. After that was the Sixth Hex, Life Death Hexing. Finally came the Fifth Hex, the Inside Outside Hex.

For the first time, the four Hexing magics... solidified within Meng Hao's mind!

They transformed into four magical symbols which shone with brilliant light. As they floated there in Meng Hao's mind, his vision began to swim. A moment later, though, it cleared, and he was inside the door!

He saw... a strange world!

It had a yellow sky that spread out in all directions. The clouds were black, and roaring sounds could be heard therein, as the occasional flickering shadows of enormous beasts about could be seen moving about.

No plants or vegetation could be seen on the ground, which was pure white and stretched as far off as the eye could see. It gave a peculiar impression that nothing here was real. Off in the distance was an enormous statue of a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged in meditation. It was so gigantic that despite being seated cross-legged, the man's body reached as high as the sky, seemingly bracing up Heaven and Earth!

Although the statue didn't seem to be very far away, when Meng Hao sent his divine sense out, he found that despite its current level and the level of his cultivation base, he was unable to even touch the statue. Apparently the statue was much farther away than it actually seemed.

Just looking at it, he could see that both of the statue's hands were locked in incantation gestures, and that a slowly rotating magical symbol floated above each hand. Furthermore, roiling mist could be seen at the statue's forehead, pulsing with a boundless life force that could shake Heaven and Earth.

After looking around at his surroundings, Meng Hao was shaken. These lands, this world, everything here was clearly vastly different than what was on the outside. Everything seemed so different that the feeling of unreality seemed even stronger than before.

After a moment of thought, he looked back at the statue with an even keener gaze than before.

"Lord Li..." he murmured softly. Almost as soon as he laid eyes on the statue, he had been able to tell... that this was the former Mountain and Sea Lord of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, Lord Li!

Although Meng Hao had never seen him before, his heart was telling him that this statue depicted none other than Lord Li!

His heart was filled with mixed emotions as he looked at the statue. Lord Li was a legendary figure in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, a person who represented the former glory of a bygone era.

Back when he was alive, Patriarch Fang and Patriarch Ji had both been subservient to him, as well as the Archdemons, plus Ke Yunhai and his contemporaries as war generals. Because of all of that, the Ninth Mountain and Sea, while not the most powerful force in the Mountain and Sea Realm, was most assuredly not viewed as being weak.

"Lord Li returned life to the Heavens..." Meng Hao murmured, recalling something that Ke Yunhai had told him. [1. Ke Yunhai mentioned something about what Lord Li did back in chapter 597. The matter was also mentioned again in chapters 579, 587, 589 and 841]

After a while, Meng Hao took a deep breath, then clasped hands and bowed deeply to the statue of Lord Li. As the Crown Prince of the Fang Clan, and having been born and raised in the Ninth Mountain and Sea, it was only proper for him to pay respects to the former Lord of the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

After offering formal greetings, Meng Hao looked back up and then gaped in shock.

He had no idea why, but now that he looked at the statue, it didn't look like a middle-aged man, but rather, a woman. Although she wasn't spectacularly beautiful, she seemed kind and gentle.

Meng Hao looked more closely, and suddenly, the statue seemed to be a man once again. It was really difficult to tell the difference.

Meng Hao pondered thoughtfully. According to the legends, Lord Li's true origins were shrouded in mystery. However, even more mysterious was he himself. No one actually knew whether he was a man or woman; in fact, not even people who had been his closest companions truly knew.

Even as Meng Hao frowned, the entire world suddenly filled with a sound like murmured whispering. It floated about, filling Heaven and Earth, brushing past Meng Hao's ears.

"In the past... I gained enlightenment regarding all living things, and returned life to the Heavens...

"The Sublime Spirit Scripture. The Heaven Severing Scripture. The Dao Divinity Scripture... What has been passed down in the world are only fragments. The three scriptures, when combined, become... the Mountain and Sea Scripture.

"The Mountain and Sea Scripture has nine volumes, and each one of the Lords of the Nine Mountains and Seas has one of those volumes...

"Then there are the three great Doyens, who have passed down their legacy for tens of thousands of years, all for the sake of the destined holder of the Scriptures...

"Heaven and Earth are everlasting, the starry sky is boundless. I come from a distant place, and am not a cultivator of the Mountain and Sea Realm... However, because a fragment of my obsession remained unquenched, I desired to borrow these skies to live...

"My obsession then resided in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and I gained enlightenment of the Dao of Nine Seals. I encountered the Second Generation Demon Sealer, and was redeemed. I learned of the difference between what is correct and what is incorrect, and I became... the Third Generation Demon Sealer!

"As a Demon Sealer, I eventually walked the path of a Paragon. I looked into the past to observe the First Generation, Nine Seals. I came to understand his Dao, and to know him as a person. Eventually I achieved my dream regarding the Daosource... I pursued the Dao of reality, and walked the Aeon Span which covers all living things...

"Here I leave some divine will, on the back of a sly devil, as a remembrance for the League of Demon Sealers…. The legacy that I shall pass on is not the Mountain and Sea Scripture, it is not an ordinary cultivation method, it is not Karma magic. I shall not bestow it upon some almighty expert, nor upon someone connected to me by destiny. I shall pass it on... to the League of Demon Sealers!

"This has launched a new era, and fulfilled my ultimate desire." When the undulating voice reached this point, everything began to tremble, and the magical symbols floating above the statue's hands suddenly exploded with Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering light.

Meng Hao trembled as the words and the magical symbols caused his Demon Sealing Hexing magic to fluctuate thousands of times more powerfully than before. The magical symbols formed from the manifestation of the four great Hexing magics in his mind suddenly made him realize what the two magical symbols held by the statue were. They were... two great Hexing magics of the League of Demon Sealers!

"One is the Hexing magic of the Second Generation Demon Sealer, the other is... the Hexing magic created by Lord Li, the Third Generation Demon Sealer!" Meng Hao gasped as he came to understand the full meaning of the words spoken to him so long ago by the Demon Sealing Jade.

"The First Generation is the Ancestor," he murmured, "the Second Generation is the Inheritor, the Third Generation is the most powerful!" A tremor ran through him as he took a step toward the statue. However, even as he did, the magical symbol in Lord Li's left hand flew out, radiating dazzling light as it then merged into the ground. [1. The line about the First, Second, and Third Generation Demon Sealers comes from chapter 490]

At the same time, Heaven and Earth distorted. The black clouds roared, and the sky screamed. The lands quaked as numerous primordial beasts appeared up above, roaring as they flew toward Meng Hao. Everything in Heaven and Earth seemed to radiate a hostility targeted specifically toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao's foot paused in mid-stride; as soon as he stopped, rumbling sounds filled the sky, and the land directly beneath his feet began to sink down. At the same time, the lands far away began to stretch up, as if Heaven and Earth were merging together to form a sphere, collapsing and closing in on itself!

And Meng Hao was about to be crushed inside!

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE!

The clouds collapsed, and the primordial beasts howled as they attempted to escape. And yet, many of those beasts were crushed to pieces, creating a rain of blood that fell down onto the ground. The Heavens above also began to distort as if to connect with the rising portions of the Earth. Everything was shrinking, and massive pressure weighed down. Meng Hao coughed up a mouthful of blood as he looked around, his eyes flashing.

"Is this a test? Or is this how the legacy is passed on?" He looked around, but couldn't immediately find any method of escaping this place.

While all of that was happening, while Meng Hao was on Patriarch Reliance's back attempting to gain the good fortune of the legacy, an incredible power was exploding out in the rift between the Seventh and Eighth Mountains and Seas, shattering the void and causing Essence power to lash about chaotically.

All of that was happening because of Lord White!

His face was grim and twisted with pain as he sat cross-legged within the void, healing himself. Occasionally he would growl as layered scales appeared all over his body, which would then disappear moments later.

His aura was gradually growing stronger, and his injuries were healing rapidly. Every so often his eyes would open, and they would radiate with hatred and indescribable killing intent.

"Another month, and then I'll be completely healed. Next time I encounter him, he's dead!

"I know all his tricks now, so next time... he shall die!"

Rumbling sounds echoed out as Lord White closed his eyes, covering up the killing intent. However, a murderous aura continued to radiate out, filling the entire area, causing an explosive windstorm to surge around him.

Chapter 1306: Third Generation Demon Sealer!


	24. Chapter 25

Chapter 1307: Hex Enlightenment

Within the world of the door on Patriarch Reliance's back, everything was turning upside down. Heaven and Earth were connecting, becoming an enormous sphere. Inside that sphere, Meng Hao felt incredible pressure weighing down on him, causing cracking sounds to echo out as if he were about to collapse.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as everything shrank down at rapid speed. Originally, he couldn't even see the ends of this Heaven and Earth, but in the next moment, the border was visible only 5,000 kilometers away.

The shrinking of Heaven and Earth would apparently be completed within the space of a few breaths of time.

Either he would successfully pass the test and acquire the legacy, or... he would die here, undeserving of the League of Demon Sealers. Although there were no spoken words to explain this, the shocking sight of the destruction of Heaven and Earth made it very clear what was happening.

Meng Hao's eyes were bright red as Heaven and Earth shrank down rapidly. He had little time to think, and in fact, the edges of the sphere were now only 3,000 meters away. The speed with which they were moving was unthinkable, and the rumbling sounds completely inundated Meng Hao.

Pain stabbed through him, and the sensation of death reached an indescribably intense level. Just as Meng Hao seemed to be on the verge of being eradicated, his eyes suddenly snapped open, and they glowed with enlightenment!

"My obsession resided in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and I gained enlightenment of the Dao of Nine Seals. I encountered the Second Generation Demon Sealer, and was redeemed. I learned of the difference between what is correct and what is incorrect, and I became... the Third Generation Demon Sealer! Within the words spoken earlier by Lord Li, there were two specific words that were the key!

"Correct and incorrect!"

The Hexing magic of the Second Generation Demon Sealer had something to do with what is correct and what is incorrect. If you combine the so-called correct and incorrect with what is happening right now, then you could actually replace them with two other words!

"Real and unreal!" Meng Hao's eyes glowed with bright light. As the pressure weighed down on him, a thousand thoughts ran through his head, and suddenly, his eyes flickered.

Suddenly, Meng Hao said, "The Second Demon Sealing Hex, Real-Unreal Hexing!"

In that instant, Heaven and Earth rumbled, and the sphere they formed completely covered him. They would not tolerate resistance, and yet, Meng Hao did not struggle or fight back.

RUMBLE!

Heaven and Earth had become one!

Meng Hao's mind reeled as he realized that he couldn't feel his body. It was as if it had been destroyed in that moment in which Heaven and Earth became one. Only his soul existed, floating there as he looked around blankly. Then he looked down and saw that his fleshly body was nowhere to be seen. The sphere formed by the combination of Heaven and Earth had turned into a tiny dot, which was now beginning to expand. It grew larger and larger, and gradually, primal chaos could be seen inside of it.

It had a Heaven, and an Earth. There were living beings and creatures, all mixed together. As it grew larger, it became endless, and then everything separated.

Part of it sank down to become land, and part of it floated up to become the sky...

Primordial beasts could be seen everywhere, flying about in the sky, crying out with piercing screeches that echoed about. Soon, trees became visible on the land, which grew tall and mighty.

Mountain ranges rose up, and rivers appeared. Somehow all of it seemed intensely real to Meng Hao.

"Do you understand?" asked a placid voice. A man appeared out of thin air to stand in front of Meng Hao.

It was none other than the man carved in the statue, Lord Li!

When he looked at Meng Hao, though, Meng Hao got the sensation that Lord Li wasn't actually looking at him. It was a very odd feeling.

"The Second Generation Demon Sealer's Hexing magic is that of the real and unreal..." Lord Li continued, "After searching for the legacy of the First Generation Demon Sealer's original Hexing magic, he gained enlightenment of the Real-Unreal Hexing.

"What is real is unreal. What is unreal is real. With a single thought, what is unreal can be taken as real, and what is real can be taken as unreal..."

Meng Hao took a deep breath, and his eyes gleamed with enlightenment. This was not his first time encountering such a thing. Back when he fought the 5-Essences Xiao Yihan, he had seen the boy unleash the Essence of reality.

After looking around one more time, he slowly closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged. He then sent his divine sense out to seek enlightenment in Heaven and Earth, to find that spark of understanding of the Real-Unreal Hexing that had flashed through his mind moments ago.

Time passed, although he wasn't sure how much. Finally, his eyes opened, and a smile could be seen on his face. Meng Hao extended his hand. Although it was illusory, it seemed real, and yet, at the same time, was real, and seemed illusory. Gradually, his entire arm, and then his whole body, experienced the same type of transformation. Meng Hao let out a long sigh.

"Real becoming unreal," he murmured. "Unreal becoming real. It's simply a type of transformation... The Real-Unreal Hex can turn real things illusory, and vice versa. What a powerful Hex... In fact, only Paragons could truly control it." He looked up at the projection of Lord Li which had been standing there this entire time. Rising to his feet, he clasped hands and bowed.

"Many thanks, Senior. I understand now." As soon as he said that he understood, the image of Lord Li seemed to suddenly become more lifelike, and he smiled.

"That is the Second Generation Demon Sealer's Hexing magic. As for mine... it is very different. I will show it to you. As for whether or not you will be able to understand it, well, that is up to you.

"Let me ask you a question. Do you truly understand the difference between what is real and what is unreal?" With that, the image of Lord Li looked deeply into Meng Hao's eyes, then suddenly vanished.

Only his voice remained behind, floating about gently before fading away: "My obsession has ended, and I shall now pursue the path of my true self. If you and I are connected by destiny, then we might meet again. Or perhaps... that will only come after countless eons."

Meng Hao frowned, looking around him once more. Unfortunately, he could find no traces whatsoever of the Hexing magic to which Lord Li had referred.

"The Third Generation Demon Sealer's Hexing magic..." he thought, looking somewhat confused. Finally he closed his eyes and began to seek enlightenment of his surroundings.

Time passed. Several days later, Meng Hao opened his eyes, and yet still had no idea of what to do. The only thing that he could sense was that the world he was in seemed like something from ancient times.

Also, he could confirm that this place... was not illusory, but was indeed real.

He looked down and could see that he had no body, only a soul. After considering the matter for a moment, he began to fly, to examine the land, the sky, and the vegetation...

More time passed. A month. Meng Hao was starting to get anxious because of the passage of time, which he could clearly sense. According to his speculations, the passage of time in this world was no different than that in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

"I need to figure out a way out of here. Based on how much time has passed, Lord White of the Seventh Mountain and Sea will most likely have fully recovered by now!" Meng Hao sent his divine sense out to search for an exit.

However, another whole month passed, and he still had no idea what was going on. More anxious than ever, he waved his right hand, summoning a divine ability. Everything began to tremble, portions of Heaven and Earth collapsed, and yet no exit could be seen.

Apparently, this place was a trap, and he was now stuck here permanently.

One month. Two months. Three months... Meng Hao was starting to go mad. Booms rang out constantly as he attempted to free himself. He unleashed the Demon Sealing Hexing magics, and yet, none of that did any good.

He howled, demanding for Lord Li to appear, but Lord Li had long since left. There were primordial beasts in the world, but considering how much Meng Hao was raging, none of them dared to show their faces.

Despite Meng Hao's deepening anxiety, time passed relentlessly.

A year. Three years. Six years...

Meng Hao watched time passing by, lonely and also worried about his Grandpa Meng. However, there was nothing he could do except experience the stabbing pains in his heart.

"Six years have already passed..." he murmured bitterly. He could only hope that his own judgement regarding the passage of time was somehow incorrect, and that time moved differently here than in the outside world.

However… ten more years passed. Meng Hao could feel his soul aging, and his body trembling. Because of that, he now had the feeling that his previous speculation had indeed been correct, that time here and time in the outside world... passed at the same speed.

A hundred years went by, and Meng Hao had become calm. Except, that calmness was a facade. Deep in his heart, he was worried about his Grandpa Meng, the Ninth Mountain and Sea, Xu Qing, and especially the 33 Heavens and the other two terrifying forces approaching the Mountain and Sea Realm. The worry in his heart was impossible to dispel.

"What's going on...?" he thought bitterly. Throughout the hundred years which had passed, he had tried everything he could think of, but nothing worked.

500 years later, Meng Hao was truly calm.

After that much time had passed, whatever happened on the outside world was over and done with, and could not be changed.

Most of the time, he wasn't even conscious. He spread his divine sense outwards ever further, and would go for long periods without retracting it.

1,000 years passed. Then 1,500. Then 5,000...

Eventually, Meng Hao lost sense of the passage of time. Whether it was 50,000 years or 100,000, he didn't really know. He was no longer truly conscious. The only thing that remained behind were the tiny strands of thought that were diffused throughout the world.

He had seen the world transform, had seen animals live and die, had seen the grand passage of time. He had even seen humanoid creatures come into being. They hunted the wild beasts, gradually learning their habits, and eventually began to develop. Meng Hao sent his thoughts out into the world, whereupon the living beings learned how to practice cultivation.

More time passed, although it was impossible to tell how much. The cultivators of the world grew more numerous, and their cultivation level grew higher. They began to war with each other, and the resulting dead were innumerable.

More time passed. After the wars passed, life flourished again, and everyone prospered. Then there was war again, and after that, prosperity. It happened over and over again until one day a hail of fire descended from the sky above.

The world burned, transforming into ash, as if everything that had been built up was being knocked over and was now starting over from scratch. Meng Hao was not conscious, and yet his thoughts were everywhere, observing everything.

Life appeared again, prospered, and then devolved into war. Again, everything was destroyed by fire from Heaven. It was like a cycle.

Meng Hao no longer thought of things in terms of the passage of time, but in terms of cycles.

One cycle after another, over and over. Meng Hao saw endless life and death, endless joy and sorrow. He was like a visitor, or a passerby, until it reached the point that he didn't even know what it was that he was watching. The cycles continued until the 10,000th cycle arrived.

When the 10,000th cycle was destroyed by fire from Heaven, when everything was destroyed, the world didn't vanish. Instead, it continued to burn. Rumbling sounds could be heard as everything shook and shattered. Meng Hao's thoughts, which had been scattered throughout the world for so long, suddenly began to converge back together.

As the world was destroyed, he slowly began to regain lucidity...

It was as if the cage he had been trapped in for such a long time, was collapsing.

The rumbling lasted for a long time, until Heaven shattered and Earth collapsed. When everything was gone, Meng Hao finally... opened his eyes!

There he was in the world of the door on Patriarch Reliance's back. However, the sky had vanished, and the land was nothing but a void. The only thing that existed was the statue of Lord Li, smiling at Meng Hao, seemingly asking him a question.

Do you really understand?


	25. Chapter 26

Chapter 1308: Searching For The Present Life!

Meng Hao was looking at the statue, and yet his eyes were blank, lacking even the slightest spark of focus. He had experienced 10,000 cycles of destruction by fire from Heaven, cycles which had contained innumerable years.

If you took one of those cycles and split it into 10,000 parts, then perhaps the amount of time he had lived in the Mountain and Sea Realm wouldn't even count as one of those parts. To him, it was almost as if... the Mountain and Sea Realm were illusory, and everything he had experienced in the world of cycles was the real life.

What was real? What was unreal? He knew, and yet could not distinguish clearly between the two.

Meng Hao was as confused as ever, his eyes were completely without focus. Everything about him was still wrapped up within that world, unable to return. Before, he had believed that he understood the Real-Unreal Hexing, but apparently, that was of no assistance to him now.

If nothing interfered, Meng Hao might sit there cross-legged until his fleshly body withered and his soul faded away. Then, he would be completely and utterly dead.

Because... he could not find what was real within the unreal.

He would remain lost in the sands of time, unable to find his present life.

Days passed, and his body began to slowly wither. His complexion grew pale and old, and his life force began to fade. His eyes remained as blank as ever.

Seven days later, he looked like little more than skin and bones. His soul was beginning to disperse, and his life force was growing weaker by the moment. He was like an oil lamp just on the verge of going out forever.

Half a month passed... The flame in that oil lamp was sputtering, as if it would wink out at any moment. Although it still burned, it was growing weaker. Eventually, on the twentieth day after Meng Hao returned, the flame of his life force went out.

And yet, in that moment in which death loomed, Meng Hao's body suddenly shivered. As the flame went out, a gleam of struggle appeared in his eyes.

That struggle was very, very weak, and yet it caused the flame of his life force to spark slightly. Then, the struggling increased. A sound rang out inside of Meng Hao, a roaring that caused his body to sway gently. Veins of blood seeped into his eyes; he was awakening!

The struggle lasted for three more days. During that time, he never stopped trembling. The flame of his life force continued to burn, and his soul began to boil. His eyes gradually grew more and more focused.

Three more days passed. It had now been a total of twenty-seven days since Meng Hao returned. Gradually, sound emerged from his mouth, shaky and unclear, and yet, it was clearly his voice.

"I... am... Meng... Hao!"

He began repeating the same thing over and over. Clearly, it was a strain. He was only saying four words, and yet it caused his entire body to shake violently. Soon, as he repeated the words, they grew clearer and more distinct!

"I... am... Meng Hao!

"I... am Meng Hao!"

In the end, he could finally say all of the words in succession.

"I am Meng Hao!"

In that moment, his mind filled with rumbling sounds. It was like Heavenly thunder that caused his entire world to tremble. At long last, a spark of focus could be seen within his eyes.

That spark indicated that his consciousness... had returned!

When that happened, the statue of Lord Li remained exactly the same as before, and yet somehow, his smile seemed to contain approval. The magical symbols above the statue's hands suddenly flew toward Meng Hao and then merged into his forehead.

The first to enter him was the Second Generation Demon Sealer's Hexing magic, the Real-Unreal Hexing!

As it merged into him, his entire body was filled with rumbling sounds.

"This is the real and the unreal. Find the unreal within the real, find the real within the unreal. When you can do that, then you... have acquired the Second Demon Sealing Hex!

"Within the countless years of illusory life, you managed to find that drop of reality in an ocean of the unreal. Henceforth, the Real-Unreal Hexing... will pose no confusion for you!"

Rumbling filled the magical symbol as the state of his consciousness grew stronger. Then he began to pant as the second magical symbol merged into his forehead.

"This is my Hexing magic, which I have come to call... Present-Ancient Hexing!

"Time is incalculable. Heaven and Earth are limitless. Gain enlightenment of the years which have passed since ancient times. Observe the Heavens being destroyed. Experience catastrophe after catastrophe. Return to the ancient to seek the present...

"You have done this, and thus you qualify to acquire my Third Demon Sealing Hex!

"There is one huge regret I have in my life, and that is... I was not destined to combine the nine hexes. In the past, I was able to deduce that at some time in the future, the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer would be able to converge the fate of the entire League of Demon Sealers, to reverse victory into defeat, to gain enlightenment of all of the other eight hexes, and then create the Ninth Hex...

"That person... would be someone even I would look up to... the ultimate pinnacle!

"Nine Hexing magics, beyond compare in all the Heavens!"

The regret-filled voice echoed out in Meng Hao's mind and body like thunder, although he was the only one who could hear it. His body was no longer trembling, and his eyes were open. And yet somehow, as he looked up, it almost looked like... he was opening his eyes again!

His opened eyes were now completely clear and focused. Within his mind, memories of the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the Eighth Mountain and Sea, and the Mountain and Sea Realm suddenly exploded out. They grew more and more profound, filling him, until the boundless time of that other Heaven and Earth were gradually suppressed. Soon, his old memories were his everything!

Meng Hao said nothing. He simply felt the six Hexing magic symbols that floated in his mind. They were the Eighth, Seventh, Sixth, Fifth, Third, and Second Hexing magics!

Now, all he lacked were the Fourth and First Hexes!

Once he gathered those two great Hexing magics, then he would be able to create... that which was fully of him, the final Ninth Hex!

After a long moment passed, Meng Hao looked at the statue of Lord Li, then slowly rose to his feet. Mixed emotions could be seen in his eyes, including sorrow and reminiscence.

"Lord Li, Third Generation Demon Sealer," he murmured. "How incredible..." This had been one of the most challenging experiences of his entire life. Although it might have seemed a simple thing, the level of difficulty involved was something only he could understand.

It was something more terrifying than death. Death... was merely an end. However, losing oneself, forgetting everything you cared about, everything that mattered to you, was something that could be counted as the most bitter torment for a cultivator.

Similarly, being lost in an illusory world, and being unable to find true life, could be considered a profound form of grief.

"The real and the unreal. The present and the ancient... I understand now," Meng Hao said softly as he looked at the statue of Lord Li. Finally, he raised his hand and waved it out in front of him.

Instantly, the pitch-black illusory world around him shattered, transforming into innumerable fragments. At the same time, the statue of Lord Li also collapsed into bits and pieces!

A huge boom rang out as the entire world fell apart.

However, after it shattered, things didn't dissolve into a haze. Instead... a yellow sky appeared, with black clouds and white land. Off in the distance, the statue was still visible.

Strangely, a magical symbol floated above the statue's right hand, and yet its left hand... was completely empty. That magical symbol was actually the entire sky up above!

Now it was clear what was truly real!

The second world which he had experienced... had been illusory and unreal!

Rumbling could be heard as Lord Li's smile, while seemingly unchanging, seemed to suddenly contain profound surprise, and then praise.

"You understand," said a voice, echoing out softly throughout the world.

In that instant, the magical symbol floating above the right hand vanished, as did the magical symbol up above in the sky. They both transformed into beams of light which shot down toward Meng Hao and merged into him.

Meng Hao didn't dodge or evade. He allowed the two glowing magical symbols to approach, merge into him, and then cause the Second and Third Hexes within him to become absolutely complete!

All of a sudden, it occurred to Meng Hao to ask a question. "If I hadn't seen what was unreal about that second world, and instead left through the door after returning, what would I have seen?"

"I don't know," the voice replied softly. Although it seemed weak, the reality was that it was coming from very, very far away.

As the voice got further and further away, the boundless life force mist on the statue's forehead flew down toward Meng Hao, enveloping him, nourishing his body.

It only took a moment for him to recover from his withered state. His soul was more powerful, and his divine sense experienced additional growth. Now, his divine sense was not forty percent of that of a Paragon, but rather fifty percent.

In the briefest of instants, he reached his ultimate peak!

However, Meng Hao wasn't paying attention to those physical transformations. Instead, he was pondering the question he had just asked. After a while, he chuckled hoarsely as he realized that there was no explanation. Since that was the case, there was no point in continuing to seek an answer.

He clasped hands and bowed once more, then turned. However, he didn't leave yet. Instead, he summoned his 33 Soul Lamps, which began to swirl around him.

Meng Hao looked at his second Soul Lamp. His voice cool, he said, "Extinguishing Soul Lamps in the Ancient Realm consists of Seven Desolations... The First Desolation is that of the illusory. For me, that shouldn't pose any problem now. I should be able to extinguish all of the first five lamps... as easily as flipping over my hand!"

"Second lamp, extinguish!" The instant the words left his mouth, his second Soul Lamp winked out, as if it had been blown out with an invisible breath of air!

Green smoke appeared, and before anything illusory could even appear, Meng Hao breathed it in through his nose. Rumbling filled his mind and body.

His cultivation base exploded up, his divine sense increased, and his fleshly body grew stronger. Although it wasn't a complete redoubling, he was still growing much stronger.

A windstorm sprang up around him, raging through the world, even as his eyes came to fall upon his third Soul Lamp.

"Third lamp, extinguish!"

RUMBLE!

His third lamp went out, and the First Desolation of delusion began. However, because of his new ability to find the real within the unreal, and the unreal within the real, to return from the ancient and seek the present... this Desolation collapsed with a single blow!

From ancient times until now, when Allheaven Dao Immortals extinguished Soul Lamps, they involved one shocking battle after another, and required extreme caution. There had never been a situation like Meng Hao's, in which he completely crushed the Desolations. They were like rotten logs which could be smashed instantly!


	26. Chapter 27

Chapter 1309: Cultivation Base, Erupt!

In the instant that his third Soul Lamp was extinguished, the others flickered as though a wind had passed by.

"The Seven Desolations..." Meng Hao said coolly, closing his eyes. He could sense the rumbling within him, the explosive rise of his cultivation base, and the increase of his divine sense by ten percent!

Right now, his divine sense was equivalent to sixty percent of that of a Paragon!

"If I extinguish the other thirty Soul Lamps, then my divine sense will be three times as powerful as a Paragon's! Even if it's only three times as powerful as a 7-Essences Paragon, that's still a terrifying level of power." Meng Hao's eyes opened, and they shone brightly. He took a deep breath as the rumbling sounds continued to echo out within him. Everything about him was still growing stronger, his cultivation base, his fleshly body, and his soul.

"To me, the Ancient Realm is no longer just a waypoint. Instead... it is a time of unprecedented transformation!" He swished his sleeve, causing a wind to spring up in all directions. He sent his divine sense out into the area, and could sense that he was now sixty to seventy percent more powerful than before!

"And I can get even stronger!" he said, eyes glittering. He looked at his fourth Soul Lamp, and then inwardly instructed it to be extinguished!

As the flame vanished, green smoke rose up, which rushed into Meng Hao's nose, causing further intense rumbling sounds. His cultivation base shot higher, causing a wind to spring up that filled the entire world.

His divine sense grew again, rising from its previous level of sixty percent all the way to seventy percent!

His fleshly body issued cracking sounds, and his soul felt as if it would burst out from inside of him. Scintillating light shone out from his eyes, as if they had become the source of all the light in the world.

The First Desolation of the Seven Desolations created illusory visions that were completely meaningless to Meng Hao. They couldn't shake him in the slightest.

This might be the Ancient Tribulation of an Allheaven Dao Immortal, but it was incapable of comparing with Meng Hao's experience regarding the real and the unreal, nor could it contend with the Meng Hao who had searched through infinite time to find his present life!

A single look on his part could cause all illusions to shatter as if they had never even existed. They were smashed into smithereens!

When his fourth Soul Lamp was extinguished, Meng Hao's energy rocketed up. At the same time, just as he was about to extinguish the fifth lamp, a furious roar echoed out from the fourth lamp. The air distorted, and a huge hand became visible. It pierced through the rift between the illusory and the real, stretching out to grab Meng Hao.

"DIE!" roared an enraged voice. Meng Hao was not unfamiliar with this voice or this hand. The owner of that voice was none other than... that entity which Meng Hao had encountered before, which hid in the Ancient Tribulation clouds, and had come to hate Meng Hao deep within its bones during the First Desolation.

It had been waiting for Meng Hao to return to the Desolation of Delusion, but could never have imagined that he would do so having experienced such transformations. Furthermore, there was only one more Soul Lamp left, and once it was extinguished, the First Desolation would be completely concluded. It would have no other chance to do anything to Meng Hao after that, so right now, it was incredibly anxious. Therefore, all it could do was attack now to prevent Meng Hao from extinguishing that lamp.

"I've been waiting for you for a while now," Meng Hao said as the huge hand bore down on him. He extended his right hand as quickly as lightning. In fact, it moved so quickly that it looked like his hand was still at his side, when in fact it had already grabbed onto the huge hand which was trying to grab him.

That hand was much, much smaller than it had been back when he was transcending his Ancient Tribulation, or when he had been inside the First Desolation. It was now only about three meters wide, and currently it had ground to a halt, completely immobilized by Meng Hao, unable to budge at all.

A flustered and exasperated roar echoed out, a roar that even contained disbelief. Meng Hao snorted coldly, then waved his right hand, causing his cultivation base to burst with power. Cracking sounds rang out, accompanied by a miserable shriek. Meng Hao then jerked back on the hand he was holding, causing a shadowy figure to be yanked out of the fourth Soul Lamp.

It was like a dragon formed of black mist, which twisted and jerked as it was pulled out. A cry of alarm could be heard as Meng Hao clenched down with his right hand. Rumbling sounds could be heard, and the mist began to shrink. It was almost as if Meng Hao's hand had become a black hole. In the blink of an eye, he had sucked all of the mist into the palm of his hand.

"Do you want to live, or die?" Meng Hao asked coolly, looking coldly down at the mist within his palm. The foggy ball churned and seethed until a terrified face came to be visible within. It looked surprised, shocked even. However, it seemed to still be holding onto its dignity, and Meng Hao's words caused it to let out an unyielding, hate-filled roar.

"You really want to die?!" Meng Hao began to close his hand into a fist, causing cracking sounds to ring out. The black mist appeared to be on the verge of shattering, and a miserable shriek rang out. All of a sudden, under the pressure of imminent death, the entity within the mist finally chose to submit.

"Too late," Meng Hao said, clenching his hand down hard. A boom rang out, and the mist collapsed as easily as a wet log. An anguished roar of despair rang out, filled with curses, as black strands floated out between the cracks of Meng Hao's fingers. They looked like vipers as they shot toward Meng Hao himself.

Meng Hao's expression was the same as ever as he waved his sleeve, causing the black viper-like strands to shatter, transforming them into ash.

At the same time, the final Soul Lamp of his First Desolation, the fifth of his 33 Soul Lamps, suddenly went dark.

When that happened, Meng Hao inhaled the green smoke, which caused his eyes to shine with a strange light. He threw his head back and roared; rumbling could be heard as his cultivation base rose up explosively, his soul surged within him as if it wanted to burst out, and his divine sense expanded rapidly!

His divine sense now swelled past seventy percent and reached... eighty percent of the level of a Paragon!

When Meng Hao sent out divine sense that was eighty percent of that of a Paragon, the surrounding world began to shake on the verge of collapse.

Meng Hao took a deep breath, and his eyes shone brightly. His current state was far beyond his previous peak, and as of this moment, he was completely confident in being able to secure victory over Lord White!

He rose to his feet and quickly absorbed all of his Soul Lamps, then turned and stepped out of the world. He emerged from the door, and was back on Patriarch Reliance's back. The first thing he heard was Patriarch Reliance roaring angrily, and then he saw an enormous head lurching toward him. An acrid odor blasted against his face as a huge mouth opened as if to consume him.

Of course, it was Patriarch Reliance, who had long since freed himself from the Hexing magic Meng Hao had laid upon him. He had been waiting for Meng Hao to reappear, and as soon as he did, reflexively tried to consume him.

Meng Hao's expression was the same as usual. He completely ignored the mouth, vanishing from Patriarch Reliance's back and reappearing out in the starry sky. Patriarch Reliance's mouth snapped down onto nothing, whereupon he swiveled his head and roared at Meng Hao.

"Meng Hao, you little bastard, you're nothing but an intolerable bully!"

Meng Hao looked back at Patriarch Reliance and smiled.

"Alright, enough is enough," he said. "Quit it with the act. You're free to go. However, if I need you, you'd better come." Meng Hao actually felt strong emotions regarding Patriarch Reliance. Flicking his sleeve, he turned to leave.

However, Patriarch Reliance didn't seem ready to give up. Roaring, he charged toward Meng Hao.

"Hey, get back here!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Patriarch Reliance regretted them. He began to shiver, and then began to curse himself inwardly for being so muddle-headed. However, considering that he had already let the words slip, he couldn't just back down. That would be far too embarrassing. Therefore, he continued to act as angry as before. But then, Meng Hao stopped in place, and Patriarch Reliance began to tremble.

Meng Hao turned back to look at Patriarch Reliance, a contemplative expression on his face. "Oh? You don't want me to leave? Could it be that you really do want to become my mount?"

Patriarch Reliance instantly began to tremble. His entire facade and demeanor was just about to crumble away, when he realized that Guyiding Tri-Rain was standing there on his back, giggling. Feeling embarrassed, he cleared his throat, and tried to sound wizened and profound as he said, "Well, no matter what you say, I'm still your Patriarch. Therefore, before leaving, you should at least kowtow to me. If you don't, well, hmph."

Patriarch Reliance had to force himself to not tremble, and in fact, it took all the courage he had just to say those words. Glaring at Meng Hao, he slowly began to back up.

Meng Hao chuckled. He could tell exactly what Patriarch Reliance was thinking at the moment, and considering how good of a mood he himself was in, he simply clasped hands and bowed.

"Keep safe and sound, Patriarch. May I take my leave now?"

"Hmmphhh! Take thy leave!" Patriarch Reliance instantly felt very pleased with himself, and suddenly had the feeling that there must be something about him that the little bastard Meng Hao feared. Instantly, his confidence increased.

Meng Hao's smile didn't change, but suddenly his cultivation base rumbled to life, and his divine sense spread out. Patriarch Reliance was so frightened he instantly shuddered intensely, and his eyes went wide. Without even thinking about it, a fawning expression appeared on his face.

"Hahaha, hahaha, I was joking! Meng Hao, young friend, you... you go ahead and take off now..." By this point, Patriarch Reliance didn't care that Guyiding Tri-Rain was secretly laughing. His scalp was numb, and he just wanted Meng Hao to be gone as quickly as possible. He was also cursing his careless remark from earlier.

With that, he backed up, instantly transforming into a beam of colorful light that shot off into the distance, reviling himself inwardly that he couldn't use more power to put distance between himself and Meng Hao even faster.

Meng Hao watched Patriarch Reliance leaving, a soft gleam in his eye. He had to admit that Patriarch Reliance was the source of many fond memories. From Mount Daqing to the Reliance Sect, all of them were precious parts of his past.

After a long moment, Meng Hao turned away. At that point, a bleakly murderous air sprang up around him, and his gaze turned as sharp as a blade. Then, he began to head toward the rift between the Eighth and Seventh Mountains and Seas.

"Lord White," he said softly, "this time, you will definitely meet your end!" With that, he vanished.


	27. Chapter 28

Chapter 1310: Let Me Help You!

Meng Hao currently had divine sense with eighty percent of the power of a Paragon. Because of that terrifying level of divine sense, his divine abilities and magical techniques now vastly exceeded their previous level.

When you added in the fact that he had extinguished five Soul Lamps, acquiring boundless power, it ensured that Meng Hao's battle prowess, although not quite on the 6-Essences level, still surpassed Lord White's. He was now at the peak of the 5-Essences level, less than half a step away from being equivalent to the 6-Essences level!

With the exception of Ksitigarbha in the Fourth Mountain and Sea, no one in the Mountain and Sea Realm who was under the level of Paragon could now pose a dangerous threat to Meng Hao in battle. That incredible sensation of power filled him with self-confidence, and at the same time enabled him to feel something that existed within the Mountain and Sea Realm... the Essence of Heaven and Earth.

Meng Hao appeared silently out in the starry sky. He raised his hand and made a grasping motion, causing a huge vortex to appear. As it spun soundlessly, Meng Hao reached in, as if he were attempting to grab something.

But then his brow slowly furrowed, and after a moment passed, he slowly pulled his hand back.

"Still can't do it, huh...? Chu Yuyan's soul dissipated into the Mountain and Sea Realm, but given the current level of my cultivation base, I still can't pull it back together...

"It seems I need to have a deeper understanding of Essence." He closed his eyes for a while to feel the transformations in the starry sky around him, then proceeded along. The vortex slowly faded away, as if it had never existed.

"Essence..." he murmured. The next time he appeared, he was near the rift. This time, because of his vastly more powerful divine sense and its effects on the void, no one could detect his return, not even the red-haired old man, let alone any of the other cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea.

"Even without entering the Dao Realm, I can still come to understand Essences...

"Because of the Hexing magic of the League of Demon Sealers, and the Allheaven Dao Immortal blood in my veins, my path of cultivation is different from that of others...

"Cultivation like mine is something very rare, or perhaps... even something that has never been seen before.

"My true cultivation base is in the Ancient Realm, with five extinguished Soul Lamps. However, my battle prowess... is already greater than that of the Mountain and Sea Lords.

"My Essence of Divine Flame came from elsewhere, and is not truly mine...

"My path of cultivation... is the type in which reliance on others is not an option. I must walk... in my own way.

"Essence... Essence..." Meng Hao's eyes shone with a strange light as he proceeded along toward the rift. Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped inside. Instantly, the starry sky became a hazy void.

In the moment that he entered the rift, the red-haired old man and the other three Dao Realm experts with him all shivered. Their eyes opened, and they looked over at the rift.

"Strange, I just felt some fluctuations from the rift..."

"It was almost as if... someone just entered it?"

"Impossible. Unless it was the exalted Lord White, or that... that man who... no, impossible. Even that man... would not be able to pass by us unseen."

The red-haired old man and his fellows all frowned, but quickly calmed down and forgot the matter. It wasn't that they couldn't put more thought into what they had just sensed, but rather, that they didn't want to. This Mountain and Sea War had not lasted for particularly long, but not even the previous wars described in the historical records had been as bitter, and those records went back for centuries upon centuries. Although similar wars had been fought, none could quite compare to this one. And by this point, the cultivators of both armies were exhausted.

That was especially true of the small group who had witnessed Meng Hao's battle with Lord White. They felt especially haggard.

Inside the rift, Meng Hao proceeded along calmly. He was in no hurry. As far as he was concerned, there was no more danger for him in this war, and what occupied his thoughts most was his future.

"I wonder... what my Essences will be...?" He suddenly stopped in place, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Nine Demon Sealing Hexes... Nine Essences. Is that really the limit of the Paragon Realm...?

"If so, and I am able to use all of my Demon Sealing Hexing magics as Essences... well then, when that happens, I, Meng Hao... will become the most powerful Paragon in existence!

"In fact, I will already have become a Paragon when I get seven Essences, and right now I've already mastered six Hexing magics, which means six Essences." Having reached this point in his train of thought, Meng Hao's eyes shone with unprecedented brightness.

He had found his path!

This was... his unique path of cultivation!

"When I combine the Nine Hexes into one, that will also be when my nine Essences combine with each other, then in that moment... as the Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm, I will also... be able to break through from the Paragon Realm into the Daosource Realm!" It was as if his eyes had been opened. His face lit up with a smile, and his expression was one of anticipation.

"To me, the Dao Realm is actually not very important, considering I can step into it any time I want. I originally thought that passing through the Ancient Realm would be the easy part, but it turned out that it is actually the true basis of allowing me to continuously grow stronger.

"When I combine the Nine Hexes, and the Nine Essences fuse together..." Meng Hao then looked down at his bag of holding, where Chu Yuyan's discarnate soul was.

"At that time, I should be able to put Chu Yuyan's soul back together... I owe her far too much." Meng Hao sighed, clearing his thoughts and looking off into the void ahead of him. He could sense that, not too far off, a figure was moving rapidly toward the exit of the rift. Based on how fast this person was moving, it would only take about a day for him to emerge into the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

"Lord White..." Meng Hao said coolly. "You're going a bit too slow. Allow me to help you out a bit."

He sent out his divine sense, which was eighty percent as powerful as a Paragon's. The entire void within the rift began to tremble with terrifying fluctuations as Meng Hao, eyes shining with bizarre light, reached his right hand out, grabbed down, and then jerked it back.

At the same time, he flew backward, seemingly towing something behind him. Since he hadn't ventured in too far to begin with, he immediately arrived at the rift's exit.

The figure that Meng Hao had detected speeding through the void was a man in a long white robe. His expression was both grim and proud.

That man was none other than... the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, Lord White!

His cultivation base had been completely restored, and had even made some advancement. His eyes glittered brightly, seemingly containing the sun, moon, and stars swirling around inside of them. His energy was surging, and his aura was bursting with power.

Although he didn't seem to be moving very quickly, every step he took caused him to flash along with incredible speed. His mouth was twisted with a cold smile, and killing intent gleamed in his eyes.

"This time, it won't matter whether you're there waiting at the exit or not, I'm going to strike you down!

"Actually, I hope you are waiting for me. That way killing you won't waste too much of my time. Then I can slaughter the rest of the Eighth Mountain and Sea to accompany you in death!

"As for the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, he's a sacrifice that I prepared for the 33 Heavens. Offering up a Mountain and Sea Lord will definitely ensure that the 33 Heavens will descend!

"Furthermore, I've determined the location of your home, the Ninth Mountain and Sea... Don't worry, I'll make sure to exterminate everyone in your entire clan and bloodline!

"If you really do have the guts to sit waiting for me at the entrance, your fate will be the same as if you had fled. After all... there is nowhere for you to run, and nowhere for you to hide, in all Heaven and Earth.

"You. Shall. DIE!

"The 33 Heavens are coming!

"I feel bad for the Mountain and Sea Realm. But this... is the fate of the Paragon Immortal Realm!" Lord White's eyes glittered, and his energy surged. He was completely self-confident, especially because of the two streams of light which swirled around him. One contained a short sabre, the other, a short sword. Both were precious treasures that, despite appearing to be ordinary in nature, were so powerful that even Lord White was leery of them.

In addition to all that, the mark of a green leaf could be seen on his forehead, flickering with scintillating light. It emanated the fluctuations of the Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation, ensuring that a powerful life force flowed through him constantly.

Considering what he already knew about Meng Hao, and his current preparations, Lord White was completely confident!

That was not even to mention the glittering mark which could be seen on the back of his hand. That mark depicted an evil spirit, grinning maliciously.

Rumbling sounds echoed out as Lord White continued along at top speed.

However, even as he was brimming with self-confidence, a huge boom rang out from the void up ahead of him. Everything seemed to shatter and churn, as though some terrifying entity were moving toward him with indescribable speed.

Lord White's eyes went wide, and his face fell with shock. Shaken, he prepared to dodge to the side. After all, he had opened up this path, so generally speaking there shouldn't be any danger here. What was happening now left him deeply shaken.

"What is that?!"

Even in the moment that Lord White started in shock, and the void up ahead of him shattered, a huge hand appeared, barreling toward him with irresistible force and indescribable speed. In the blink of an eye, it was directly in front of him.

No amount of resistance or struggling on his part did any good, nor did he even qualify to try to dodge. Before he could do anything, the hand grabbed onto him.

As soon as it touched him, his eyes went wide with disbelief and shock. Based on what he could sense, that hand was formed from divine will, a terrifying divine will that caused him to cry out in alarm and babble incoherently.

"Paragon!

"It's Paragon Sea Dream!

"No, wait, this isn't Sea Dream's aura... She couldn't be here! The 33 Heavens already sent people to pin her down!

"If it's not Sea Dream, then who is it? Who could it be!?

"There couldn't possibly be a second Paragon in the Mountain and Sea Realm!" Indescribable astonishment gripped Lord White's heart, and before he could even consider the matter further, the huge hand began to drag him forward.

RUUMMMMBLLLLLE!

The entire void shook violently. Normally speaking, it would have taken a full day for Lord White to reach the exit of the rift at the speed he had been maintaining. But right now, it only took a few breaths of time before the huge hand dragged him… all the way out into the Eighth Mountain and Sea!

RUMBLE!


	28. Chapter 29

Chapter 1311: Crushing!

Meng Hao emerged from the rift before Lord White by about ten breaths of time. Although the red-haired old man, his fellows, and the other cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea off in the distance were all swept over by a wild blast of air as soon as he appeared, sending all of them tumbling backwards, they still didn't immediately detect Meng Hao.

"What's happening?"

"This... this..." The red-haired old man and his fellows had looks of shock on their faces as they were shoved backward. Rumbling could be heard coming from the rift itself. And then the rift... all of a sudden seemed to be on the verge of collapsing completely.

Fissures spread out in all directions, and it began to break apart, causing widespread astonishment among everyone present.

What happened next, though, virtually blew the minds of all the observing cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea. Each and every one watched with their own eyes as their own Mountain and Sea Lord, Lord White... flew out of that collapsing rift.

Before any of them could get excited, they gasped with disbelief. That was because it was very clear from their vantage point that Lord White... was not flying out of the rift on his own. Instead, he was struggling and shouting, and a look of fear and shock could be seen on his face.

From the look of it... he was actually being dragged out by some huge, invisible hand!

"This..." all of the cultivators of the Seventh Mountain and Sea looked on in utter shock.

Lord White was roaring in anger, but deep inside he was flabbergasted. Even as he struggled, his voice rang out for all to hear.

"Which Paragon is it? Paragon Sea Dream? It must be you!"

Even as Lord White blustered, a calm voice suddenly echoed out. "It's not Paragon Sea Dream. It's me!"

Ripples spread out from the collapsing rift, and Meng Hao appeared for all to see.

"Meng Hao!"

"I can't believe it's him! This... he..."

"He was only missing for a month. I can't believe he's even stronger than he was before!" The red-haired old man and his fellows gasped in shock, and Lord White's pupils constricted. He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Impossible!" A tremor ran through Lord White. The huge hand that had just grabbed him had vanished, and he could now move again. Without even thinking about it, he backed up, looking at Meng Hao with complete disbelief.

"Lord White, we meet again," Meng Hao said with a slight smile, looking calmly at Lord White the entire time. "You were going too slow, and I didn't feel like waiting for you, so I decided to help you out a bit."

Although Meng Hao's words were spoken with a smile, they caused Lord White's scalp to feel as if it were about to explode. An intense sensation of deadly crisis exploded up within him, the most intense feeling he had ever experienced in his entire life, and it was caused by none other than Meng Hao!

Lord White still almost couldn't believe that the Meng Hao he had faced a month ago, who had caused him to feel fear, but not deadly crisis, was this same person. It was as if he had completely transformed. Lord White felt as if he were dreaming, as if the scene playing out in front of him was a hallucination.

"Impossible..." It almost seemed as if the word 'impossible' was the only word he could say, over and over again. It went to show how completely shocked he was, how this scene was so unimaginable that it almost couldn't happen even in a dream. How could Meng Hao have experienced such a terrifying increase in power?

He would never be able to forget the despair and shock he had felt at having that huge hand grab him. That was the divine sense of a Paragon, which completely exceeded his own. He had previously assumed that the original plan had gone awry, and that Paragon Sea Dream had appeared. But now that he realized the sense of crisis was caused by Meng Hao, he truly wished that all of this could be nothing more than an illusion. In fact, he would rather Paragon Sea Dream be the one who had arrived.

His confidence was now completely shattered, and all his preparations were now completely useless.

Even worse was the fact that the rift behind him was collapsing, causing him to gasp. Now Meng Hao's plan was obvious; considering that he was cutting off the path of retreat, he obviously planned... to cut Lord White down once and for all!

That was why Meng Hao had entered the rift to begin with!

By destroying that rift, he made it impossible for the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea to retreat, trapping him in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Even if he wanted to flee, there was nowhere to flee to! The graveyard-like Eighth Mountain and Sea would become his final resting place!

Lord White began to shake, and the sensation of deadly crisis within him grew even more intense, until it felt like raging waves battering at his mind. Without even a moment of hesitation, Lord White transformed into a beam of white light that flashed toward the collapsing rift.

Although entering a collapsing rift like that gave him only a 50/50 chance of surviving, as far as he was concerned, that was better than staying put!

He could well predict that if he did not pick that 50/50 chance, then the only thing waiting for him was a 0/100 chance!

RUMBLE!

In the very moment in which Lord White fell back, Meng Hao snorted coldly and waved his hand. Heaven and Earth rumbled, and the starry sky trembled, as his divine sense spread out, crushing down onto Lord White.

Lord White let out a miserable shriek, and blood spattered everywhere. Then, the rift behind him collapsed completely, cutting off even that 50/50 chance he had to survive!

"Meng Hao, you push people too far!" Lord White's eyes were completely bloodshot as he spun around, threw his head back and roared. His hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture, causing an ancient scripture to materialize behind him.

"The Mountains have three Daos, Man-Mountain, Earth-Mountain, Heaven-Mountain!" Lord White held nothing back as he unleashed his divine ability, revealing how incredibly terrified he was at this moment.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE...

Three Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering mountains appeared, which crushed toward Meng Hao, the Man-Mountain from the front, the Earth-Mountain from below, and the Heaven-Mountain from above. The power of those three mountains was enough to slay celestial beings and destroy gods!

Rumbling could be heard as the three mountains smashed toward Meng Hao. Before he had extinguished five Soul Lamps, facing this magic had been very difficult, and he had been forced to rely on the Withering Flame Demon Magic True Self Dao to create a surrogate which had died in his stead.

Right now, though, Meng Hao's eyes were shining brightly, and his expression was very calm. The wave of a finger caused the Man-Mountain to shudder and then collapse into pieces. Without stopping, Meng Hao waved his finger down, and then up.

It was as if he could buttress all creation, as if... in all Heaven and Earth, he was the most respected of all beings!

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE...

The Earth-Mountain shattered, and the Heaven-Mountain collapsed. The starry sky shuddered as rubble blasted out in all directions. Blood sprayed out of Lord White's mouth, and an expression of terror and madness appeared on his face.

"You're no match for me anymore." Meng Hao said coolly, speeding toward Lord White. As he did, the pressure of the starry sky began to weigh down, as if the power of the Mountains and Seas itself was Meng Hao's aura. Everything shook, and Lord White fell back, blood spraying out of his mouth.

Note from Er Gen: The past four chapters have 11,000 Chinese characters!

Note from Deathblade: This is an unusually short chapter, coming in at only about 1300 words. The reason is that the past four chapters were all posted in a single day by Er Gen in a drive for monthly vote tickets. As you can see from the above comment, those four chapters came in at a total of 11,000 Chinese characters. Usually chapters are 3,000 Chinese characters, so he came very close to completing 4 full chapters, but fell a bit short on the last one of the day.


	29. Chapter 30

"The Seas have three magics, the Commoner's Magic, the Minister's Magic, and the Emperor's Magic!" Lord White roared. Three natural laws descended that seemed to supercede all other natural laws, affecting all minds as they crushed down onto Meng Hao.

A strange light shone in Meng Hao's eyes as he waved his hand, summoning the Paragon Bridge. This Paragon Bridge was different than the bridges he had summoned before; the towering will of a Paragon swirled around it as it fought back against the three Sea magics, which subsequently shattered.

Meng Hao's face paled a bit, but almost immediately recovered. Then he frowned.

"It seems my biggest weakness now is this body of mine," he murmured inwardly. Although his fleshly body had experienced growth when he extinguished his Soul Lamps, that growth was not incredibly significant. His fleshly body had already almost reached its total limit, and could not really make any more progress without a complete breakthrough.

Considering how much energy he had built up in preparation for the breakthrough, once it occurred, his fleshly body would rapidly increase in power afterward.

However, before the breakthrough, all of that energy was essentially useless.

"The Dao Realm fleshly body requires... the blood of ancient Gods." He then thought back to that trial by fire in the Nine Seas God World, and the words spoken to him by the old man who had passed on the three exterminating fist techniques.

"Ancient God blood..." Then he recalled that back in the Windswept Realm, Yuwen Jian from the Seventh Mountain and Sea had told him that there were ancient Gods where he came from.

Even as these things flashed through his mind, blood was spraying out of Lord White's mouth from the backlash of his attack. His hair turned white, and his body withered. His entire aura weakened in the blink of an eye, and his Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation immediately exploded into action.

However, he was bitterly aware that he had nowhere to flee to, no path of escape. The only tiny chance he had to survive was to go all out and fight to the death.

Lord White threw his head back and laughed maniacally, performing a double-handed incantation gesture and simultaneously spitting out some blood. He did not use his Death Curse Magic, which Meng Hao had already overcome in their last battle. Meng Hao's divine sense was now as powerful as a Paragon, so using the Death Curse Magic against him would do little good.

Gritting his teeth, Lord White waved the index fingers of both hands toward Meng Hao. Instantly, the sabre and the sword that were swirling around him flared with red light and black smoke, which seemed to connect up into the 33 Heavens beyond the limits of the starry sky. It was like a Devilish flame that caused the Mountain and Sea Realm to rumble, and a power of expulsion to rise up.

However, even as that power of expulsion appeared, Lord White threw his head back and roared, Suddenly, a crown-like object appeared atop his head, flickering with dazzling light that instantly caused the Mountain and Sea power to settle down.

That crown was the symbol that marked him as a Mountain and Sea Lord. With it, he was able to stifle the expulsion power of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and thus allow him to temporarily borrow power directly from the 33 Heavens!

"DIE!" he howled. The sabre and the sword hummed in unison, radiating intense killing intent as they shot toward Meng Hao!

Lord White knew that although the sabre and sword were powerful, they were not enough to kill Meng Hao. Laughing bitterly, eyes aflame with madness, he decided to go all out in one final attack. This was an attack that would end with either Meng Hao dead, or himself!

He raised his right hand up high, and the evil spirit totem tattoo on it seemed to come to life. Its eyes blinked open, causing an intense, vile aura to fill the starry sky.

Barely audible was the sound of roaring coming from the 33 Heavens beyond the limits of the starry sky, which pierced through the barriers to settle onto the battlefield where Meng Hao and Lord White were fighting!

That roar did not come from Dao Fang, who had appeared during their last battle!

It came from some other spirit!

Meng Hao's expression flickered, and a strange light appeared in his eyes. After a moment of thought, he turned somberly to face the sabre and sword, and then reached out and made a grasping gesture. Instantly, the sabre and sword began to vibrate.

The short sabre then began to shine with dazzling light, and then suddenly dissolved into a liquid which spread out to avoid Meng Hao's grasp. Then it transformed into the outline of some gigantic beast.

It was a vicious lizard, covered with innumerable spines that glittered with cold light. The lizard roared as it attacked Meng Hao.

As for the short sword, it also dissolved, turning into a Silver Dragon, which howled as it charged forward.

Meng Hao snorted coldly, looking away from Lord White to the incoming lizard and Silver Dragon. In the same moment, his divine sense exploded out, turning into a crushing power that weighed down on the starry sky.

Everything distorted as a huge rift was torn open. The gigantic lizard trembled and then let out a bloodcurdling scream as it was torn to pieces.

As for the Silver Dragon, the exact same thing happened to it. It didn't even qualify to fight back, and was instantly shredded.

The sabre was destroyed and the sword was crushed!

They were precious treasures that Lord White had prepared specifically to use against Meng Hao. But now, Meng Hao had divine sense that was eighty percent as powerful as that of a Paragon's, which caused the void to distort and the starry sky to crush down.

Meng Hao waved his sleeve, sweeping away the fragments of the sabre and sword, dispersing them.

In that same instant, Lord White howled, a sound that could shake Heaven and Earth. Simultaneously, the roaring coming from the 33 Heavens beyond the starry sky caused everything to shake.

The vicious spirit on the back of Lord White's hand grinned ferociously. Even as Meng Hao turned his attention to it, it materialized into an evil ghost, which didn't attack Meng Hao, but rather, turned and burrowed into Lord White's body.

Lord White spasmed, then threw his head back and roared.

ROOOAARRRR!

His body began to grow, and in the blink of an eye, he was 30 meters tall, then 300 meters. His eyes were crimson, and radiated madness. Apparently, his mental faculties were crushed in that instant, and he went completely mad.

Numerous spines grew out of the pupils of his eyes, and scales rapidly spread out over his skin, giving him a completely shocking appearance. His face twisted with pain as he beat his chest with his fists. At the same time, his spine extending, causing a huge tail to appear, which was covered with viscous bodily fluid.

Two brutish horns sprouted out of his head, and his aura exploded out to a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering degree.

That aura was definitely not the aura of the Mountain and Sea Realm, but rather the aura of the Outsiders from the 33 Heavens!

This was not the first time Meng Hao had seen something like this happen. Back when he had fought Marquis Lu, something similar had occurred. However, the energy Lord White was giving off now was beyond compare to what he had seen before.

And yet... there was no power of expulsion from the Mountains and Seas. That crown still glittered on his head, which apparently caused a peculiar willpower to fill the area, isolating him from the Mountain and Sea Realm, so that it couldn't even sense him!

Clearly, Lord White's status had something to do with why this was happening!

"Die, Die, DIE!" Lord White roared. Apparently, Lord White had some strange connection to the 33 Heavens, a connection that Meng Hao could sense. Although this caused him to frown slightly, it was not some huge shock.

After his fight with Marquis Lu, it was easy for Meng Hao to come to the conclusion that Lord White must have a similar magic at his disposal. Of course, the price involved was incomprehensible, so much so that Lord White wouldn't use it unless it was his only chance at survival. In fact, that heavy price was also why he had chosen to flee during their last battle.

But now, the rift was gone, and Meng Hao's power left him in complete despair. He knew that today... he had a 0/100 chance of surviving unless he went completely all out!

ROOOAARRRR!

Lord White turned into a black beam that shot toward Meng Hao with incredible speed, piercing through the starry sky. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Meng Hao, stretching out his claw-like hands toward him.

RUMBLE!

His claws shredded the starry sky with destructive power. Although that explosive power did not equal the 6-Essences level, it was immeasurably close.

As the claws neared, Meng Hao's eyes flickered, and his divine sense roiled out. The power of eighty percent of a Paragon's divine sense crushed down onto Lord White, instantly causing him to grind to a halt, trembling.

In that instant, Meng Hao's right hand lifted up, and the copper mirror appeared, transforming instantly into the Battle Weapon. This version of the Battle Weapon was vastly sharper than before, and looked different as well. The murderous aura which surrounded it was greater, and the blade glow which flickered out shoved Lord White back thirty meters, howling.

A gaping wound appeared in his chest, but strangely, no blood flowed out from it. Roaring madly, he charged in again, whereupon Meng Hao snorted coldly and sent his divine sense crushing down once again.

A boom rang out as Lord White was once again halted in place by the terrifying pressure from Meng Hao. Try as he might to fight back, it was useless, and he was left trembling.

Meng Hao's eyes flashed, and he took a step forward. The Battle Weapon slashed through the starry sky, sending out dazzling light that seemed to rend the starry sky.

Massive power slashed down onto Lord White, cutting him cleanly into two pieces. Yet again, no blood sprayed out, although he let out a bloodcurdling scream.

However, what was truly bizarre was that the two halves of his body wriggled and transformed into two versions of Lord White, which then charged madly toward Meng Hao from two different directions.

Meng Hao frowned, sending divine sense out and attacking with the Battle Weapon again. However, the only result of his slashing attack was that there were now four Lord Whites!

"Won't die and can't be killed?" Meng Hao's eyes flashed coldly as he put the Battle Weapon away and then performed an incantation gesture and pointed out. Immediately, the Paragon Bridge rumbled out, emanating the power of the 6-Essences level, which completely shattered the four Lord Whites into a pulp.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE...

However, even as they shattered, Meng Hao's frown deepened. There in front of him, the countless dust-like fragments formed back together, and this time, there weren't four Lord Whites, but rather... dozens!

"Die, Die, DIE!" All of the Lord Whites howled and charged at Meng Hao from all directions.

Chapter 1312: Lord White Turns Outsider!


	30. Chapter 31

Meng Hao looked at the multiple versions of Lord White, his eyes flickering with scintillating light.

"Can't be killed and won't die. Is that because of your life force?" Meng Hao suddenly waved his hand, summoning the copper mirror once again. This time, however, he didn't form it into the Battle Weapon, but instead reached his left hand deep into the mirror itself!

The copper mirror was like a black hole that completely swallowed up his hand. At the same time, the mirror trembled, as if some enormous power was stirring within. Roars and howls echoed out, the mere sound of which caused the faces of the numerous versions of Lord White to flicker. Furthermore, the area which had previously been cut off from the Mountain and Sea Realm by Lord White was now showing signs of collapsing.

"Demon Weapon Lonelytomb..." Meng Hao said softly, eyes shining, "the time has finally come for you to truly appear in the world!" Based on the level of his current cultivation base, he was able to sense that... he could at long last completely and fully pull out the fragment of the mirror he had acquired in the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect, as well as that which was inside of it, Demon Weapon Lonelytomb! [1. It was around chapter 619 that he acquired that mirror fragment in the Ancient Demon Immortal Sect]

Furthermore, this was not the incomplete Demon Weapon which he had pulled out in the last fight with Lord White. This was... the complete, authentic Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

The world inside the copper mirror was something no one on the outside could see. Deep within the mirror was an ancient battlefield, filled with so many broken corpses that they were heaped together like mountains. In the middle of all of that was a seething black mist, inside of which was a long black spear that radiated brutal madness.

It also pulsed with an intense murderous aura, which caused rumbling sounds to echo out. It was as if the number of souls killed by this spear throughout the years literally couldn't be counted...

All of a sudden, an enormous hand reached down out of the Heavens of that world, which was none other than Meng Hao's hand. It pierced through the black mist and wrapped around the Demon Weapon Lonelytomb.

An intense drone of excitement exploded out of the spear, as if it could sense the fluctuations of the League of Demon Sealers. It had been waiting for far more than 10,000 years... for a cultivator from the League to come release it into the world once more!

The hand wrapped around Demon Weapon Lonelytomb and then pulled it up into the Heavens….

Out in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, Meng Hao's hand slowly emerged from the copper mirror, which was trembling and emanating dazzling light that spread out in all directions.

There was also a vast quantity of black mist which roiled out, filling the entire area with a towering murderous aura, as if countless discarnate souls were screaming and wailing in anguish.

Rumbling sounds could be heard as Meng Hao's hand emerged, clutched within which was a long black spear. At long last, Demon Weapon Lonelytomb... had returned to the Mountain and Sea Realm!

It was nine meters long, completely pitch black, and surrounded by swirling black mist and the images of countless vengeful spirits. The murderous aura it emanated contained shocking pressure that made everything rumble. It was as if all the life in the starry sky was being sliced to pieces to be consumed by the newly-arrived Demon Weapon Lonelytomb!

Even more shocking was that after consuming that life force, the Demon Weapon's murderous aura grew even stronger. It needed more, it thirsted for more, causing Heaven and Earth to shake violently.

The dozens of versions of Lord White began to struggle violently, expressions flickering with astonishment and shock.

"An undying, unkillable life force...?" Meng Hao said, lips twisting into a cold smile. He took a step forward, and Demon Weapon Lonelytomb transformed into a black bolt of lightning that shot out.

It was only a spear, but when it stabbed into the forehead of one of the Lord Whites, it pierced directly through him, withering his body. In the blink of an eye, he shattered into pieces, his life force completely and utterly consumed by Demon Weapon Lonelytomb.

The Demon Weapon, which had previously been pitch black, all of a sudden had a blood-colored glint to it that even bordered on violet!

In the same moment, the rest of the versions of Lord White finally managed to shake off the Hexing magic, and began to scatter, fleeing in all directions.

"You can't escape," Meng Hao said coolly. He didn't pursue them, though. Instead, the bloody glow surrounding the Demon Weapon transformed into a beam of blood-colored light, which sped out into the starry sky. The starry sky trembled as the barrier erected by Lord White shattered. Instantly, the power of the Mountains and Seas could sense the presence of an Outsider, and as a result, the entire Mountain and Sea Realm began to shake violently.

Atop the Nine Mountains, the Xuanwu turtles in the nine celestial ponds threw their heads back and roared. The Mountains and Seas shook, and all of the Mountain and Sea Lords could suddenly sense the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm!

"Outsiders must be executed!" These words rumbled out into the minds of all of the Mountain and Sea Lords. On the Ninth Mountain, Ji Tian's eyes shone with a strange glow as he looked in the direction of the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

On the Eighth Mountain, Meng Hao's grandfather, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, was shaking violently. His hands were quivering, and a shocking aura was erupting up within him as his eyes slowly opened!

In the Sixth Mountain and Sea, countless cultivators were massed together into a huge army that was marching forward into a rift that connected to the Fifth Mountain and Sea. It was not just in the Eighth Mountain and Sea that a Mountain and Sea War was being fought, nor was the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea the only traitor!

There was another traitor... the Lord of the Sixth Mountain and Sea!

War had broken out in the Fifth Mountain and Sea, and the two Lords of those respective Mountains and Seas were both bursting with power. Although they had not yet begun to fight, they were now facing off.

It was in that moment that they heard the voice of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

The entire Mountain and Sea Realm was shaking, and countless faces flickered with shock. An astonishing power was building up, converging on Meng Hao's location in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, and then crushing down onto the fleeing Lord White.

That was Meng Hao's entire goal. He wanted to sever the power that Lord White was able to wield because of his status as the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea, that allowed him to block the will of the Mountains and Seas. Once his Outsider aura spread out and was detected, killing him would be a very simple task.

In fact, Meng Hao didn't even need to attack at this point. The power of the Mountain and Sea Realm would kill Lord White for him!

Amidst rumbling sounds, Lord White let out a miserable scream as the will of the Mountains and Seas descended. However, even as he was about to be shredded out of existence, the starry sky shook as a massive pressure descended from the 33 Heavens up above.

At the same time, a huge golden net appeared, which covered the entire Mountain and Sea Realm. Beyond that net could be seen numerous land masses stacked up like a pagoda. Clearly visible on the first land mass, the one nearest to the Mountain and Sea Realm, were mountains and rivers, as well as a group of cultivators with stern, arrogant expressions on their faces.

This was the 1st Heaven of the 33 Heavens. Similar scenes could be seen playing out on the 2nd Heaven, the 3rd Heaven, and all of the other various land masses that were stacked higher up. Furthermore, it appeared as if the cultivators there had just begun to gather, and that it would most likely take many years for them to finish massing their forces together.

After all, each and every one of those Heavens was comparable in size to the Mountain and Sea Realm itself!

Beyond that huge golden net, was a figure clad in golden battle armor, floating above the 1st Heaven, staring down at the Mountain and Sea Realm. Suddenly, he cried out in a furious voice. "Mountain and Sea Realm, if you dare to kill someone from our 1st Heaven, then the war will begin early!"

That figure looked like a cultivator, except that his body was covering in scales, and a long tail stretched out behind him. Two vicious horns sprouted from his head, and his eyes were icy cold.

"Allow him to return, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. The Mountain and Sea Realm will then have years to prepare. The war between us is coming, and it will end with the eradication of either the Mountains and Seas or our 33 Heaven!

"Do you want that war to start now, or years from now? All rests on a single sentence from you, the Mountain and Sea Realm!"

Massive rumbling accompanied the voice, which pierced into the Mountain and Sea Realm and exploded out in the Eighth Mountain and Sea. However, the echoing voice could also be heard by all cultivators in the entire Mountain and Sea Realm.

In fact, any cultivator in the Mountain and Sea Realm who looked up would be able to see the huge net spreading out up above, and the 33 land masses beyond it!

The entire Realm was completely stunned!

Although rumors about the 33 Heavens had long since begun to spread, and many people knew about them, as of this moment, everyone was astonished to be able to hear the words spoken by the golden-armored Outsider from the 1st Heaven.

It was brazen intimidation!

He was openly threatening the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm; if it dared to slaughter Lord White, then the result would be the premature outbreak of a war of eradication!

Meng Hao was shaking, and brilliant light flickered within his eyes. He had never imagined that killing Lord White would provoke such a reaction from the 33 Heavens, to the extent that they were willing to wage war ahead of schedule!

Suddenly, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm froze, and ceased in its attempt to kill Lord White. At the same time, the remaining versions of Lord White all merged back together into his original form. His face was pale, and he was trembling, but the fact that he had just escaped with his life caused his eyes to shine with incredible joy, even elation!

The will of the Mountain and Sea Realm was silent. The Xuanwu turtles on the Nine Mountains grew quiet. None of the Mountain and Sea Lords spoke. All cultivators, regardless of whether they were fighting on the battlefield or were in a location of peace and quiet, were completely shaken, and stared up in confusion at the starry sky above.

None of them were ready for such a war, and in fact, most of them hadn't even been aware that a war was coming.

And yet... the 33 Heavens, despite not being fully prepared, had already begun to gather forces. If they still needed years to prepare, then so did the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Meng Hao was also silent. This was a decision that had to do with the survival of the Mountain and Sea Realm itself. His first inclination was to let Lord White go, and avoid an early outbreak of war.

After all, he hadn't made adequate preparations to fight against the 33 Heavens right at this moment.

A cold snort rang out from the 33 Heavens, and a huge black hand pierced down through the golden net. It descended to the Eighth Mountain and Sea, grabbed Lord White and then slowly pulled him up.

The decision had been made. The Mountain and Sea Realm didn't dare to attack, didn't dare to start the war early. That was a war which would decide the fate of all lives in the Realm, and no one was confident enough to start it yet.

However... that was when something completely unexpected happened!


	31. Chapter 32

Note from Deathblade: I rarely do this, but I'm going to suggest a soundtrack for this chapter. Click here for the music, then have fun reading!

The hand which had grabbed Lord White and was pulling him up out of the Mountain and Sea Realm suddenly became entangled by some invisible power which forced it to grind to a halt. An enraged roar then echoed out from the 33 Heavens to fill the ears of all cultivators down below.

"Mountain and Sea Realm, what are you doing?! Do you truly dare to start the war early!?"

All of the Mountains and Seas were completely shaken. Even the cultivators of the Seventh and Eighth Mountains and Seas who were locked in combat, as well as those in the Sixth and Fifth Mountains and Seas, all went quiet.

Fighting ceased, and all hearts felt enormous pressure weighing down on them. And yet, the main feeling was that of confusion.

All of a sudden, an ancient and icy voice echoed out through all of the Mountains and Seas, filling the minds and hearts of all cultivators. "All ye in the Mountain and Sea Realm... I am the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm, its spirit automaton..."

Each and every cultivator in the Mountain and Sea Realm could hear the voice as clear as crystal.

"Oh so many years ago, there was no Mountain and Sea Realm in the Vast Expanse. There was only the Paragon Immortal Realm, standing tall and eternal within the flow of time. It led the 3,000 Lower Realms, and all of its cultivators were Immortals...

"But then... catastrophe struck...

"The 3,000 Lower Realms... rebelled. Other foreign powers threw the Immortals into chaos, slaughtered the Imperial Lords, and exterminated the Dao bloodlines. The Paragon Immortal Realm fell...

"Paragon Nine Seals... created the Mountain and Sea Realm, forging new lands to keep the memory of the Paragon Immortal Realm alive. That is how the Mountain and Sea Realm came to be..." The voice of the Mountain and Sea Realm echoed out, filled with a strange power that suffused the entire Realm and poured into the ears of all cultivators. Even as the Mountain and Sea Realm spoke, the cultivators saw images in their minds. Visions.

Within those visions were images of the true events from the past. They were images that seemed to spring up from the very souls of the people who saw them, drawn up by the voice which filled their minds.

Within those visions, the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm, regardless of the level of their cultivation bases, be they Qi Condensation or Dao Realm, could clearly see the Paragon Immortal Realm of yesteryear. They saw the peace and tranquility there, and then they saw the 3,000 Lower Realms rebelling. They saw the terrifying foreign powers invading the Paragon Immortal Realm. They saw... the Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering war which resulted.

They saw countless cultivators dying miserable deaths. They saw many who, in their last moment of life, would shout that they would live for the Immortal World, and that they would die for the Immortal World. Then those cultivators chose to self-detonate and end in mutual destruction with their enemies.

The cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm saw the blood of their ancestors in the visions. They witnessed the glory of the Paragon Immortal Realm, and its fall. They witnessed the countless corpses and brutal carnage that stretched out into the starry sky.

Everyone began to tremble as the voice of the Mountain and Sea Realm slowly faded into the background. What filled their minds were the images that had been hidden in their blood and in their souls, images that revealed to the trembling Mountain and Sea Realm cultivators, their true origins.

They understood. As of this moment, everyone understood!

No one doubted whether the images might be illusions. On an instinctive level, they knew that their visions were real. It was as if these images were memories, memories of their ancestors that were embedded in their souls and in their blood. From generation to generation, those memories were passed down, indelible and impossible to wipe away!

It was as if they could hear the shouts of their ancestors coming from within their own blood.

"Never forget! We are the people of the Paragon Immortal Realm!"

"Fix our former glory into your hearts!"

"Our children and grandchildren, all generations, must forever remember that our true enemies are the 33 Heavens, and those beyond the 33 Heavens!"

"They are our enemies now, and will be our enemies to time indefinite!"

A massive roaring sound exploded out into the minds of all the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm. The visions left them trembling, their eyes bloodshot, their blood and souls surging not only with the memories passed down by the ancestors but also... with their rage and madness.

What bitterness!

They saw the collapse of the Paragon Immortal Realm, they saw countless deaths, they saw the starry sky become a sea of blood, and they saw the vicious brutality of the rebels.

Death... endless death...

Eventually, the visions began to change. After seeing countless almighty experts from the Paragon Immortal Realm give up their lives for the sake of family and homeland, they saw Paragon Nine Seals create the precious treasure that was the Mountain and Sea Realm. He knew that he would die in the process, but he didn't care. To stop the war, to protect his home, he created the Mountain and Sea Realm.

He took the broken remnants of his people and placed them into the Mountain and Sea Realm. There, they multiplied and became many, and eventually life once again thrived. Gradually, a new Immortal World came to be.

However, the war was not over!

Everyone was trembling, even Meng Hao. He already knew about all of these matters, but he had never seen the visions. However, his eyes were bloodshot, not because the rage and hatred of his ancestors, but rather... because he did not wish, and was not willing, to allow his own people to wade through the same sea of blood he was seeing in the visions.

Eventually, the voice of the Mountain and Sea Realm once again echoed out, seemingly sighing, seemingly reminiscent, and yet filled with obsession and towering hatred!

"Most of the 3,000 Lower Realms were destroyed. In the end, only 33 remained. They sealed the Mountain and Sea Realm, and they... are the 33 Heavens which hang over all our heads.

"On this day, the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea has rebelled, as has the Lord of the Sixth Mountain and Sea. After the passage of countless years, that most ancient of wars, is starting again...

"And it will be a war of complete extermination..."

As the voice rang out into the minds of the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the visions changed once again. This time, they saw the battles which had been fought recently in the Eighth and Fifth Mountains and Seas!

They saw cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm killing each other, and they saw the rebellion of the Mountain and Sea Lords!

When the cultivators from the other Mountains and Seas saw this, their eyes were shot with blood. As for the cultivators from the Eighth, Seventh, Sixth, and Fifth Mountains and Seas, their minds felt as if they were being struck by lightning. All of the cultivators on the various battlefields were struck mute.

They began to shake, and their eyes filled with grief. All of them felt like screaming from the bottoms of their hearts:

Wrong! We were wrong!

There should never have been any Mountain and Sea Wars. Even if their own Mountain and Sea Lord rebelled, they would not!

They were cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm, and they all carried the blood of their ancestors. Their enemies were not the people of the Mountain and Sea Realm, but rather, the 33 Heavens!

One cultivator after another began to cough up blood, and many even shed bloody tears...

The cultivators from the other Mountains and Seas were filled with bitterness, and couldn't even speak. Everyone was unprecedentedly quiet. As of this moment, the visions, coupled with the somehow familiar feeling rising up in their blood, caused the hatred for the 33 Heavens which existed in their souls to become incomparably clear.

Finally, at long last, they understood everything.

"I am only a spirit automaton. The decisions about whether or not to fight, and when exactly to fight, are not mine to make. Therefore, I hereby request that all cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm tell me what you wish to do.

"Do we fight now? We are not ready, but then again, neither are our enemies. Or... do we wait? Years from now, both sides will be prepared, and then we can fight.

"All of you... tell me your wish." After the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm finished speaking, it went completely silent.

The entire Mountain and Sea Realm was quiet. Everyone stood there silently, thinking, contemplating whether or not to fight.

If they fought, they would have the advantage. If they did not fight, they could spend more time preparing.

The right to decide did not lie with the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm, nor with the 33 Heavens. Instead, it lay with the people of the Mountain and Sea Realm itself. The silence caused the people of the 1st Heaven up above to suddenly grow very nervous. Even the Outsider in the golden armor felt his heart pounding.

He could never possibly have imagined that forcing the Mountain and Sea Realm's hand in this way would have such a result. Based on his understanding of the people of the Mountain and Sea Realm, he had been convinced that they would choose to wait and prepare. But now... he wasn't sure.

"Dammit!" he growled, his heart racing. The 33 Heavens were in no way prepared, which was in fact, one of the main reasons why they had incited internal friction by means of the Sixth and Seventh Mountains and Seas. They wanted the Mountain and Sea Realm to be in chaos. Then, they could spend years preparing, and by the time the two mysterious forces backing them arrived to wage war, they would fight alongside them in an ultimate and final battle.

However, even as the golden-armored Outsider stood there, shaking inwardly, a voice suddenly rang out in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

"Fight!"

That voice crackled like thunder, ringing out from within the Fourth Mountain and Sea to fill the starry sky. It was only one word, but it then gave rise to a chorus of responses from that same Mountain and Sea!

That voice belonged to none other than... the Lord of the Fourth Mountain and Sea, Ksitigarbha!

It was one word, one completely domineering word, filled with ultimate decisiveness!

An explosion of voices filled the Fourth Mountain and Sea, joining Ksitigarbha's voice. The Fourth Mountain and Sea was going wild, and the cultivators there began to roar at the top of their lungs.

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

Next, the Lord of the Fifth Mountain and Sea threw his head back and roared.

"Fight!"

After that, people began to cry out in the Third Mountain and Sea and the Second Mountain and Sea. Killing intent exploded out, shaking the starry sky.

"Fight!"

Next, an ancient voice suddenly echoed out from within the First Mountain and Sea.

"Fight!"

The entire starry sky, the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, was aboil. Countless voices joined together from all parts of the Realm. As they echoed about boundlessly, they were joined by a voice from the Ninth Mountain and Sea, which belonged to none other than Ji Tian!

"Fight!"

As the Mountain and Sea Realm shook, Meng Hao's grandfather, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, who sat atop the Eighth Mountain, fully opened his eyes. When he did, power exploded out that shook the starry sky, and caused the Heavens to tremble. Shining light like the stars emanated out from his eyes as he slowly rose to his feet. Then, his voice booming like thunder, he spoke a single word.

"FIGHT!"

Chapter 1314: FIGHT!


	32. Chapter 33

"Win or lose, we'll fight!"

"Since they're not ready either...we have to strike now!"

"It's just war, isn't it?! Even though we don't know how long it will last, it'll happen eventually anyway; we might as well get on with it!"

Numerous shouting voices rose up from all parts of the Mountain and Sea Realm. As they echoed out, Meng Hao remained silent, and yet, his eyes flickered with an intense desire to do battle.

"Perhaps after some preparation I could focus even more of the Mountain and Sea Realm's power," he thought. "However... by that time, the two other terrifying enemies will have arrived.

"Since that's the case, why not fight now? If we can wipe out the 33 Heavens before the other two forces arrive... perhaps victory won't be an impossibility!" Meng Hao's eyes glittered. Now was not the time for silent contemplation. He looked up into the starry sky at the golden-armored hand which was still holding Lord White. He did not cry out that he wanted to fight, but instead, sent his divine sense roaring out, bursting with power equivalent to eighty percent of that of a Paragon.

If the war was starting, then Lord White could be of significant aid to Meng Hao's Eternal stratum. Therefore... he could not be allowed to escape. Meng Hao's divine sense rumbled toward him...

The golden-armored Outsider from the 1st Heaven had an expression of shock on his face. The reaction of all the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm caused him to subconsciously fall back, simultaneously trying to drag Lord White out of the Mountain and Sea Realm. However, it was in that same moment that Meng Hao's divine sense closed in.

Meng Hao's divine sense transformed into an enormous blade capable of sundering the Heavens, which then slashed viciously at the arm, moving at incredible speed.

"You're like a grain of rice fighting back against the sun and moon!" the golden-armored Outsider said with a cold snort. Dazzling golden light then began to shine off of his hand, as if he was simply going to ignore Meng Hao's divine sense, and would continue to extract Lord White.

However, even as his words echoed out, Meng Hao's blade of divine sense smashed into the golden light, which instantly distorted, and then began to tremble, apparently on the verge of shattering!

"That's..." the golden-armored Outsider shouted in alarmed disbelief. His eyes had gone wide and his mind was reeling.

Meng Hao's divine sense blade pierced the golden light and then made contact with golden-armored Outsider's enormous arm. Cracking sounds echoed out as the golden armor shattered, revealing a long scaled arm.

The arm trembled as Meng Hao's divine sense blade bit into it. The arm was apparently not even qualified to resist; in the blink of an eye, it was completely severed!

Meng Hao's eyes glittered with killing intent as he stared at the severed arm and then shouted out in a thunder-like voice, "All invading Outsiders shall DIE!"

A massive roar echoed back in response from the 1st Heaven. The golden-armored Outsider's eyes went wide as the pain from his severed arm exploded out in his body. His heart began to thump as he realized that Meng Hao had accomplished this using only his divine sense; such a level of power left him completely terrified.

"Paragon!" shouted the golden-armored Outsider. "That's the power of a Paragon. Y-you're... you're a Paragon!"

The other Outsider cultivators from the 1st Heaven all gasped, and their faces flickered.

Back in the Mountain and Sea Realm, the severed arm's hand slowly loosened its grip on Lord White, who turned to face Meng Hao with complete shock and despair on his face.

"All who betray the Mountain and Sea Realm shall DIE!" Meng Hao hefted Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, then blasted toward Lord White as fast as lightning. In the blink of an eye, the spear stabbed into Lord White's forehead.

A miserable scream echoed out, and complete disbelief could be seen in Lord White's eyes. He stared blankly at Meng Hao for a moment before his head completely exploded, followed by his entire body!

The Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea was dead!

As Lord White died, the crown that he had worn began to fall. Cracking sounds could be heard as it then shattered into innumerable pieces. Simultaneously, Lord White's palace on the Seventh Mountain was transformed into ash, as if it had been crushed by an enormous hand!

The only thing that was left behind there in the starry sky was a solitary crown, which floated down to rest atop the Seventh Mountain. There it waited... for a new Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea to appear!

In the celestial pond atop the Seventh Mountain, the Xuanwu turtle's eyes glowed with a white light. Apparently, the connection that had sealed it to the Lord of the Seventh Mountain and Sea was now gone.

Boundless power of the Mountains and Seas began to spread out from the crown, filling the Seventh Mountain and Sea. At the same time, all of the cultivators who had been born in the Seventh Mountain and Sea could feel that power, and also could tell that...

Now that the Lord had lost his position, everything under Heaven was up for grabs!

Meanwhile, back in the Eighth Mountain and Sea…. In the moment that Lord White died, his corpse transformed into vast quantities of qi and blood, some of which was then absorbed by Demon Weapon Lonelytomb. However, most of that power actually transformed into strands of white mist, which Meng Hao then absorbed through his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Furthermore, in the spot where Lord White had died, a green leaf appeared, which began to emanate resplendent light, as if a magical technique were forming. In that same moment, Meng Hao's Eternal stratum began to operate at full power, pulling the leaf toward him. A moment later, he completely absorbed it.

Meng Hao's entire body trembled, and he felt a boundless life force erupting out within him. Although his fleshly body didn't experience a breakthrough, the sudden buildup of energy left him shocked.

He had the intense premonition that, if he used God blood to achieve a fleshly body breakthrough, then the power of his fleshly body would exceed that of a Dao Lord, and step directly into the Dao Sovereign level!

In fact, he could also tell that his 6th Soul Lamp... was apparently on the verge of being extinguished!

Even as Meng Hao cut down Lord White, the shocking sounds of battle began to rise up in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Meng Hao could also sense the fluctuations of a towering power rising up from the Eighth Mountain. As of that moment, Meng Hao knew that his Grandpa Meng... had finally awoken.

At long last, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm once again spoke!

"Fight!" It was a single word, but the instant that it rang out, the nine Xuanwu turtles on the nine Mountains all threw their heads back and roared. Next, both the sun and moon of the Mountain and Sea Realm blazed with intense, dazzling light!

Shocking rumbling sounds echoed out as nine beams of light shot up from the Nine Mountains, then slammed into the golden net up above. The net instantly began to shake, and then... started to collapse!

As the net collapsed, the 1st Heaven of the 33 Heavens, regardless of whether or not it wished to... began to descend!

Now, what could be seen beyond the starry sky was not a boundless expanse, but rather, an enormous land mass.

The 33 Heavens shook as countless streams of powerful divine sense exploded out. Shocking ripples also emanated out from the 1st heaven as a cold, ancient voice rang out.

"War! Since the Mountain and Sea Realm desires this war to come early, well then... we shall fight!" As the voice echoed out, countless roaring sounds rose up from within the 1st Heaven. Next, figures could be seen emerging from the 2nd Heaven, the 3rd Heaven, from all of the 33 Heavens; more people wished to join in the battle!

However, even as that happened, the sun and moon of the Mountain and Sea Realm sent two beams of radiant light shooting up into the 33 Heavens, toward the spot where the 1st Heaven and the 2nd Heaven connected!

RUMBLE!

The two beams of light instantly pierced through that connection, apparently cutting the 1st Heaven off from the other 33 Heavens. Immediately afterwards, another huge net appeared, completely enveloping the 1st Heaven and separating it!

The other figures descended from beyond the 1st Heaven were temporarily halted in place. Enraged roars could be heard, and the 33 Heavens began to shake as the voices of countless cultivators echoed out. Back in the 1st Heaven, all of the Outsiders maintained their silence. However, it didn't take very long before they began to fly off of the land mass and charge toward the Mountain and Sea Realm!

The war... was really beginning!

The battlefield was not one location within the Mountain and Sea Realm, but rather... the entire Realm!

The Outsider cultivators from the boundless 1st Heaven scattered out in various directions. These Outsiders from the 1st Heaven were vicious in appearance, and looked nothing like ordinary cultivators. They looked more like beasts, beasts which radiated shocking murderous intent.

At the same time, all of the lands in the Mountain and Sea Realm were springing into action. Soon, the fighting had already broken out in full force.

The Seventh Mountain and Sea was almost instantly transformed into a sea of flames. Few cultivators had been left behind there, ensuring that the Outsiders from the 1st Heaven met little resistance. Instead, most of them focused on fortifying the area to serve as their base.

Clearly, the 1st Heaven had been preparing for this invasion for years!

A similar scene was also playing out in the Sixth Mountain and Sea!

The fighting immediately intensified. However, there had already been wars playing out in both the Eighth and Fifth Mountains. Although the forces present in those wars had sustained casualties, each front currently contained the combined power of two Mountains and Seas. Furthermore, because of what Meng Hao had done in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, the fighting there had not been as intense, and thus the armies there were still relatively intact.

Now that the true war was beginning, all of the cultivators there fought back enthusiastically, and the booming sounds of battle echoed out.

As for the other Mountains and Seas, there had been no fighting going on. The only thing they lacked was time to organize themselves. However, the Outsiders from the 1st Heaven were equally unprepared, so chaotic fighting immediately broke out.

In the First Mountain and Sea, the Echelon cultivator Dao-Heaven took the lead in the fighting, and as for all the other sects and clans there, they had no other choice than to join in.

It was the same in the Second Mountain and Sea and the Third Mountain and Sea. The only exception... was the Fourth Mountain and Sea!

Chapter 1315: Lord White Falls, The Battle Commences!


	33. Chapter 34

Chapter 1316: Outsider Paragon!

The Fourth Mountain and Sea had been preparing for a very, very long time. Perhaps it would even be appropriate to say that they were always in a state of preparation. Almost as soon as the Outsiders arrived, the starry sky of the Fourth Mountain and Sea began to rumble. Numerous buildings appeared, which seemed to be Yama King palaces from the underworld. In addition, a boiling Yellow Springs appeared, sweeping across the Heavens.

Before the Outsiders could even start fighting, miserable screams rang out as heavy casualties were inflicted. They couldn't even set foot into the Fourth Mountain and Sea!

Countless enraged cultivators charged out from the Fourth Mountain and Sea, roaring in rage. "DIE!"

Most unusual of all, however, was not the Fourth Mountain and Sea, but rather... the Ninth Mountain and Sea!

Almost in the same instant that the Outsiders arrived there, a beam of dazzling light shot out from some unknown region, sweeping out to cover that entire Mountain and Sea. It completely passed over the cultivators, but as for the Outsiders, they were instantly shredded to pieces.

The war between the Mountain and Sea Realm and the 33 Heavens had now fully erupted!

At the same time, the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm spread out to cover the whole Realm, crushing down onto the Outsiders. They roared as cracking sounds emanated out. In that moment, their fleshly bodies, their cultivation bases, everything about them was suppressed. Almost instantly, their battle prowess was reduced to sixty percent!

That was one terrifying aspect of the Mountain and Sea Realm. It wasn't just a place for the Immortal World to gradually recover. After all, it had been created during a time of war, and therefore, everything about it... was designed to be used in warfare!

"Mountain and Sea Realm!" An enraged roar could be heard coming from the 1st Heaven as an emaciated figure appeared, whose every step caused the Mountain and Sea Realm shake.

The aura of a Paragon emanated out from his body, spreading out in all directions to shake everything!

Apparently, the pressure coming from the will of the Mountain and Sea Realm had little effect on this figure. When he first appeared, he was very skinny, but as he neared, he grew larger. In the blink of an eye, he was 300 meters long, then 3,000 meters, and soon... he was fully 30,000 meters tall!

He bore the appearance of some fiendish beast, covered with scales, with a long tail stretching out behind it. He even had a horn sticking out of his head, which radiated a spectacular energy.

Furthermore, black flames flickered around him, and his eyes were bright red. Everywhere he looked, the starry sky twisted and distorted. With a single glance he surveyed all the living beings beneath him, and with the exception of the one entity he actually feared in the Mountain and Sea Realm, his gaze only momentarily lingered on two others!

One of those entities was in the Fourth Mountain and Sea, while the other was in the Eighth Mountain and Sea!

One was Ksitigarbha, and the other... was Meng Hao!

The reason he took Ksitigarbha so seriously was because of how his energy surged so mightily there within the Fourth Mountain and Sea. His glory bordered on that of a Paragon, and was enough to shake the highest Heavens, to spread shock throughout the Mountains and Seas!

The reason he took Meng Hao seriously was because of how he had just slaughtered Lord White. After all, Lord White... was an Outsider from the 1st Heaven, one of this beast's people!

"Trifling Mountain and Sea Realm!" said the enormous 30,000-meter creature. "The forces of the 1st Heaven, where my people reside, are enough to wipe you all out by themselves!

"The time has come, my generals. Imperial Lord Mandilo, Exalted Devils, the time has come... for a sacrifice of blood!

"Sacrifice the blood of the Immortals of the Mountain and Sea Realm to the Heavens, and offer up their ghosts. Take all life in this place... and transform it into ash!" His voice echoed out to fill the entire Mountain and Sea Realm.

In response to his words, countless Outsiders flooded out from the 1st Heaven behind him, radiating killing intent as they spread out into the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Whether it was in terms of cultivation base or ability to slaughter, this second wave of Outsiders far exceeded the first. They were clearly the elite and most powerful fighters.

Booms rang out in all directions, shaking the Mountains and Seas as even more fierce fighting erupted!

Furthermore, there were three figures which slowly emerged, three Outsiders. It was impossible to tell if they were male or female, as they were completely covered in scales. Their eyes glowed red as if with fire, and the leader among the three was fully 3,000 meters tall, and surrounded by flames, as well as shocking fluctuations, fluctuations that could be second only to that of a Paragon.

He was... an Imperial Lord!

A Quasi-Paragon!

Behind the Quasi-Paragon were two other Outsiders, also with glowing red eyes and cruel grins. Their cultivation bases also shook Heaven and Earth; they were clearly equipped with the power of six Essences!

One of them wore golden armor, except that the armor on one of its arms was completely destroyed. This was the Outsider who had attempted to take Lord White away. As soon as he appeared, his eyes locked onto Meng Hao in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, and they flickered with killing intent.

These two were not Paragons, nor were they Imperial Lords. However, with six Essences, they stood at the pinnacle of power, and any one of them could unleash a complete catastrophe onto any battlefield.

The 1st Heaven of the 33 Heavens was the first land which sealed the Mountain and Sea Realm. For tens upon tens of thousands of years, it had served as the first barrier that prevented cultivators from the Mountain and Sea Realm from escaping, and therefore, it was no surprise that it housed powerful beings like this!

The hearts of tens upon tens of thousands of cultivators in the Nine Mountains and Seas were completely shaken. Everyone looked up into the starry sky to see the Paragon up above in the 1st Heaven.

His aura was terrifying to an indescribable level as it spread out through the Mountain and Sea Realm!

His energy could shake Heaven and Earth, as if a single thought on his part could eradicate any living creature he laid eyes upon.

Such powerful divine sense caused even Dao Realm experts to tremble as if... they were facing something completely without equal.

"Paragon..."

"That's... the power of a Paragon..."

"The 33 Heavens... Just how many Paragons do they have...?"

Even the Mountain and Sea Lords were shaken. Despite the blessing of power from the Mountains and Seas, everyone was still so shocked that they almost lost their will to fight.

The 30,000-meter long Outsider Paragon suddenly extended his right hand and then shoved it out toward the Mountain and Sea Realm. Instantly, the starry sky filled with rumbling sounds, and began to peel and shatter.

Paragon power erupted out, surging toward the Fourth and Eighth Mountains!

Shockingly, he was first sending out his divine sense to try to eradicate his two greatest threats!

"Remember that thou hast been exterminated by Eegoo. That is my true name, which endures unchanging no matter how many tens of thousands of years has passed!" As the Outsider Paragon's hand descended, Heaven and Earth shook violently.

The Mountain and Sea Realm trembled, and its cultivators could sense a shocking pressure emanating down from the starry sky, a pressure which easily shoved aside the power of the Mountains and Seas, and then shot directly toward Meng Hao.

Contained within that pressure was a will of extermination that clearly intended to shred him into pieces, to destroy him in body and spirit.

Meng Hao's pupils constricted as an intense sensation of deadly crisis welled up within him. That sensation of crisis sent his cultivation base aflame, and he knew that if he could not ward off this Paragon's attack, then he... would be killed beyond the shadow of a doubt!

Thankfully, Paragon Eegoo's power was not focused completely on attacking Meng Hao. Instead, it was split into two parts, one of which was focused on destroying Meng Hao, the other of which... was speeding down toward the Fourth Mountain and Sea, toward a spot deep within the countless Yama King palaces, toward a patch of pitch-black dirt in the underworld, where an enormous 3,000-meter tall statue sat there cross-legged.

That statue... was none other than the Lord of the Fourth Mountain and Sea, Ksitigarbha!

He was the most powerful of the Mountain and Sea Lords, and also... the most powerful person in the Mountain and Sea Realm under the level of Paragon!

Innumerable souls perpetually flew around the statue. After all, the Fourth Mountain controlled the underworld of the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, and therefore, the Lord of the Fourth Mountain and Sea was also the Mountain and Sea Realm's Lord of the Underworld!

Even as the crushing power of the Outsider Paragon closed in, the statue's seemingly eternally closed eyes suddenly snapped open. Cracking sounds could be heard, and fissures spread out all over the surface of the statue as it slowly raised its right hand, then viciously jabbed out with its finger.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE!

Massive rumbling sounds echoed out as Ksitigarbha's body collapsed layer by layer. As it shattered and dissipated, the pressure from the Outsider Paragon suddenly lurched to a halt, incapable of proceeding.

The statue dissipated, and Ksitigarbha's true form was revealed. He was an ancient old man, tall and clad in a long yellow robe. As he stood there, a shocking energy pulsed out of him, and he raised his right hand to perform an incantation gesture. Instantly, the Fourth Mountain and Sea began to tremble, and the sound of chanting scriptures began to emanate out from the Yellow Springs up above in the starry sky, and the countless Yama King palaces. Simultaneously, Joss Flame power began to converge upon Ksitigarbha.

A boom echoed out as the Outsider Paragon's pressure was crushed by Ksitigarbha's finger jab. At the same time, Ksitigarbha's face paled a bit, although it quickly recovered. Then, his eyes began to shine with a strange light as he suddenly looked up, and then raised his right hand into the air.

"To be struck, but not strike back?" he said coolly. "That is not the Dao of Ksitigarbha." His voice thrummed with a strange cadence, and as the words left his mouth, he pushed his hand up into the air. Immediately, the Yama King palaces and the Yellow Springs, coupled with the boundless Joss Flame power, rumbled up, transforming into an enormous hand which shot up into the starry sky toward the Outsider Paragon, as if to grab him!

It didn't matter that he had a powerful cultivation base, or that he was a Paragon. Since he struck out at Ksitigarbha, how could Ksitigarbha not strike back? He would answer with his own attack, for the time had come to draw swords!

"Hmm?" The Outsider Paragon's eyes widened as he looked down at the Fourth Mountain. "He himself wields the power of a Dao Sovereign... but by converging tens of thousands of years of Joss Flame, he can actually unleash... the might of an Imperial Lord..."

Even as the Outsider Paragon was reeling in shock, back in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, the Paragon's might was still bearing down on Meng Hao. Eyes shining brightly, Meng Hao raised both hands wide into the air, summoning the Paragon Bridge. His divine sense also exploded out with eighty percent of the power of a Paragon. Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering power slammed into the Paragon's pressure, fighting back against it.

When they slammed into each other, a massive boom rang out like a clap of thunder. The starry sky trembled, even darkening because of the blinding light of the Paragon Bridge. At the same time, numerous figures could be seen walking across the bridge, from whom terrifying auras could be sensed!

The Outsider Paragon was completely and utterly shocked.

He had to admit that he had underestimated the Mountain and Sea Realm. He had originally anticipated being able to eradicate both opponents at the same time, only to find that one was more shocking than the other!


	34. Chapter 35

Chapter 1317: Killing Intent of a Paragon!

The sudden appearance of the Paragon Bridge completely shocked the Outsider Paragon; in fact, he recognized it! Back when the great catastrophe occurred, he had not been at the Paragon level, and thus did not play a large role in what happened. However, he had seen this very bridge before, when it was crushed by an attack by the all-powerful Nine Seals and his Mountain and Sea Realm.

Even thinking about that bitter war left him trembling. Although Nine Seals had long since been destroyed in body and spirit, when this Outsider Paragon thought about him, he was left shaken.

He didn't understand it back in those days, but later came to the realization that if Nine Seals had felt like abandoning the Paragon Immortal Realm, no one could have prevented him from leaving.

In fact, the two terrifying forces who fought in the war years ago would not have been capable of such a feat, not without unleashing their Ancestral Souls. However, the price to be paid for such an act was so high that even those two powers would be hard-pressed to bear the costs. [1. The Ancestral Soul is something that comes up in both Beseech the Devil and Renegade Immortal, mostly toward the latter parts of both stories]

It was with mixed feelings that Eegoo looked at the Paragon Bridge, and the figures on it. Those figures were shocking, but what was even more astonishing to him was the power of Meng Hao's divine sense.

However... even the fact that Meng Hao's divine sense was eighty percent as powerful as his own didn't cause his mind to reel.

What did that, what caused him to begin trembling, what caused his eyes to suddenly widen… was that he had just sensed something within Meng Hao's divine sense... He had sensed... familiar fluctuations!

Those fluctuations left his heart pounding and his mind spinning!

"Nine Seals... Those are the fluctuations of Nine Seals. This man... is Nine Seals' successor!" Eegoo felt as if infinite lightning bolts were slamming into his mind. He raised his hand, sending Paragon power to blast away the gigantic hand summoned by Ksitigarbha. Then, killing intent flickered within his eyes as he turned his attention to the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

There was no way that he... would permit another Paragon Nine Seals to appear!

9-Essences Paragons like that were vastly removed from his own level as a 7-Essences Paragon. Although both were called Paragons, the difference between them... was even more dramatic than the difference between 4-Essences Dao Sovereigns and 6-Essences Dao Sovereigns!

"This kid must die! If I don't kill him, then the possibility exists that he will become the second Nine Seals. He could... potentially exterminate all of the 33 Heavens!" The Outsider Paragon's mind was spinning as he extended his hand and made a vicious pinching gesture toward the Eighth Mountain and Sea. The power of his cultivation base exploded out, the full might of his Paragon power!

The Eighth Mountain and Sea trembled, and all the cultivators there, including the Outsiders, began to bleed from their eyes, ears, noses and mouths, as they felt intense pressure weighing down on them.

Apparently, this Outsider Paragon was even willing to sacrifice the lives of his own people in order to wipe out Meng Hao. He was attempting to crush the starry sky of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, and all living things therein!

However, it was at this point that a beam of white light shot out from within the Ninth Mountain and Sea. It split the starry sky like a white waterfall as it rose up, whistling through the air toward the 30,000-meter-tall Outsider. When it reached his hand, it exploded, instantly sending the Outsider Paragon's hand rebounding backward!

"I've been waiting for you!" The voice belonged to that of a woman, and it was as cold as ice. It was none other than... Paragon Sea Dream!

Outsider Paragon Eegoo looked up, and his eyes swirled with killing intent. "Sea Dream! You've managed to stay alive by means of a secret magic all these years, but your Essences have been destroyed. Your cultivation base is like nothing compared to back then. If you force yourself to fight, it will only hasten your death. If you had avoided resisting us, then I would have let you be. After all, the destruction of the Mountain and Sea Realm has nothing to do with you. And yet, you still dare attack me?!"

Paragon Sea Dream appeared off in the distance, slowly striding forward. Her voice cold, she said, "Back when I achieved my Dao, you were nothing more than an ant.

"Later, when I was a Dao Sovereign, I encountered you, dying, whereupon you dropped to your knees and pleaded with me to prevent you from getting sucked into the cycle of reincarnation.

"After I became a Paragon, you didn't hesitate to run your clan into the ground, all so that you could acquire a Celestial Emperor Flower. Why? To fawn on me in the hopes that I would give you the magic you needed to break through to the Dao Lord level.

"And now you, a member of the Drakewyrm Tribe, dare to bare your fangs in front of me?"

The Outsider Paragon's face flickered in response to Sea Dream's coolly spoken words. Every sentence that came out of her mouth seemed to dredge up bad memories in the Outsider, causing the killing intent in his eyes to intensify.

"If you want to die," Eegoo said, "then I'll fulfill your desire!" The Outsider Paragon knew that, thanks to Sea Dream's interference, killing Meng Hao was now an impossibility. Furthermore, despite the words of contempt he had spoken toward Sea Dream, he still feared her.

After all, when he was still just a child, Paragon Sea Dream had been one of the Paragons of the Paragon Immortal Realm. She had an incredible standing, and could unleash shocking magical abilities so far above his own as to be utterly incomparable.

Rumbling could be heard as the Outsider Paragon attacked, and he and Paragon Sea Dream began fighting in the starry sky far up above the Mountain and Sea Realm!

Their battle caused the entire world to tremble, the Heavens to flash with colors, and the starry sky to grow dim.

In almost that same moment, the Outsider Imperial Lord's eyes flickered away from Meng Hao and focused onto the Fourth Mountain. Snorting coldly, he transformed into a beam of light that shot in that same direction!

His target was Ksitigarbha, who was able to wield the power of an Imperial Lord!

As he neared, Ksitigarbha looked up, and the boundless Joss Flame power transformed into a huge vortex, which shot toward the Outsider Imperial Lord, instantly enveloping him.

Shocking booms rang out as the two of them began to fight!

As for the remaining Outsider Dao Sovereigns, their eyes flickered with brutal gleams.

One of them, the one in the golden armor, slowly said, "This kid from the Eighth Mountain and Sea is mine!"

The other one laughed, then closed his eyes, whereupon his body twisted and distorted, becoming five separate streams of green smoke that shot in five different directions through the void.

The destinations of those streams of smoke: the First, Second, Third, Eighth and Ninth Mountains!

Their targets were not ordinary cultivators, but rather... the Mountain and Sea Lords of those very mountains!

Shockingly, he was using his own power to simultaneously fight against five Mountain and Sea Lords!

Rumbling sounds echoed out from those five mountains as powerful magical techniques suddenly exploded into being.

The golden-armored Outsider Dao Sovereign was the one who had already clashed with Meng Hao, just moments ago. He licked his lips, and killing intent swirled in his eyes as they locked onto Meng Hao's position within the Eighth Mountain and Sea. He wasn't sure why his own exalted Paragon leader specifically wanted Meng Hao dead, but he didn't care. Considering that his cultivation base was at the Dao Sovereign level, cutting down someone at the 5-Essences level, even if they were at the peak, would not be very difficult.

The thing he cared about the most was that Meng Hao had killed his Junior Tribesman Lord White, someone who had made heroic contributions to the 1st Heaven!

Because of all Lord White's services, the tribe had already arranged for his bloodline to be awakened upon his return, which would enable him to rise to the level of a true Dao Sovereign. They had even made preparations to appoint him as a tribe Elder.

But before that could happen, he had been cut down right in front of the golden-armored Outsider.

This Outsider wanted nothing more than to kill Meng Hao, and that desire was growing stronger. The only thing he needed to be mindful of was Meng Hao's terrifying divine sense, but by this time, he had already taken precautions against it.

Grinning, he strode forward, then slashed out at the starry sky, which shattered apart as he bore down on the Eighth Mountain and Sea, bursting with killing intent.

"So, how do you want to die, kid? I'll let you decide."

Sinister laughter rang out as the Outsider Dao Sovereign picked up speed. From a distance, he looked like a golden shooting star, piercing through the starry sky in Meng Hao's direction.

A strange light appeared in Meng Hao's eyes; his blood was already pumping. His cultivation base erupted as he strode forward. One step. Two steps. Three steps... In the blink of an eye, the Outsider Dao Sovereign was upon him, but by that time, he had already taken seven steps.

When the seventh step landed, his energy spiked, increasing exponentially. At the same time, his divine sense shot out, and the Paragon Bridge rumbled down. Then, Demon Weapon Lonelytomb suddenly appeared in his right hand!

The power of Meng Hao's fleshly body converged on the spear, along with energy from his cultivation base and magical techniques. That rumbling power seemed to freeze the starry sky, and the killing intent became completely focused.

"Not bad..." the Outsider Dao Sovereign said, pupils constricting. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and roared, sending out monstrous sound waves. Astonishingly, the image of a giant appeared behind the Outsider Dao Sovereign. The power of six Essences also erupted out, forming a tempest. At the same time, a statue appeared in his hands.

That statue depicted a lizard, and as soon as it appeared, a strange aura erupted out which began to suppress Meng Hao's divine sense!

It took only a moment for his divine sense to drop from eighty percent of the power of a Paragon, to half of that!

Then, the windstorm began to fight back against the power of Meng Hao's spear.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE...

Massive sounds tore at the starry sky. After extinguishing five Soul Lamps, Meng Hao could unleash incredible power that was only a hair away from the 6-Essences level. However, when facing a true 6-Essences cultivator, that simply wasn't enough!

As his divine sense was suppressed, the feeling of deadly crisis in his heart grew more intense.

The Paragon Bridge collapsed, and Demon Weapon Lonelytomb recoiled backward. Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth as the backlash hit his cultivation base, scattering it. His fleshly body was slashed viciously, sending blood and gore flying about.

The Essence tempest surrounding the Outsider Dao Sovereign weakened a bit. Although he had been capable of suppressing Meng Hao's attack just now, he had been forced to go all out to do so. That was especially because of the bizarre Demon Weapon Lonelytomb, which caused him to frown.

He took a step forward, flickering to appear in front of the seriously wounded Meng Hao. Eyes glittering with a cruel light, he didn't attempt to kill him, but instead opened his mouth wide and lunged toward Meng Hao's head.

"I'll eat you and absorb your power!" Bizarre light shone in the eyes of the golden-armored Outsider. However, in the same moment that his jaws were about to latch onto Meng Hao, Meng Hao's eyes suddenly flickered. Although his injuries had seemed severe, the combination of the Eternal stratum and the Green Emperor's Eternal Incantation transformed into something like an undying, unkillable secret magic! He recovered almost instantly!

Then, he clenched his hand into a fist and began to punch the Outsider Dao Sovereign!

Life-Extermination Fist!

Bedevilment Fist!

God-Slaying Fist!

BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

Those three fist strikes slammed into the Outsider Dao Sovereign, who had never expected that Meng Hao would have a secret magic that would enable him to recover so quickly. His eyes went wide, but he was too slow to avoid Meng Hao's successive blows.

Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he was sent tumbling back. Enraged, he was just about to counterattack, but unfortunately, he was not familiar with Meng Hao's fighting style. Once Meng Hao won the initiative... he never let go!


	35. Chapter 36

Chapter 1319: The Reserves of the Mountains and Seas

The battle between the 1st Heaven and the Mountain and Sea Realm was now fully underway. There was no longer a massive field of stars stretching out above the heads of the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Instead, it had been replaced by an enormous land mass, which was like a roof of black clouds that blanketed everything. In some areas, lightning could even be seen dancing about, and occasional peals of thunder would echo out in all directions. The land mass stretched out to cover the entire Mountain and Sea Realm, exerting intense pressure down onto it.

Paragons were fighting!

In the starry sky that separated the 1st Heaven and the Mountain and Sea Realm, the 1st Heaven's Paragon was fighting a Heaven-shaking, Earth-shattering battle of life and death with Paragon Sea Dream.

Paragon Sea Dream wanted to take the fight to the 1st Heaven, whereas the Outsider Paragon wanted the shockwaves of their battle to hit the Mountain and Sea Realm. The fierce fighting between them shattered the starry sky, and caused massive winds to sweep through the void.

Daos were shattered, and natural laws destroyed!

Second only to the Paragon battle was the fighting in the Fourth Mountain and Sea, where Ksitigarbha was fighting the Outsider Imperial Lord Mandilo. The Fourth Mountain and Sea was like a sea of flames as rumbling echoed out between the Yama King palaces and the Outsider's black flames. After converging boundless Joss Flame, Ksitigarbha was on equal footing with the Outsider Imperial Lord!

Of the four most powerful cultivators from the 1st Heaven, two had already been pinned down. Of the other two, the Dao Sovereigns, one had split into five clones in an attempt to kill the great Mountain and Sea Lords. However, to do that was turning out to be easier said than done, and he had also come to find himself in a tight spot.

That left only the golden-armored Dao Sovereign, whose battle with Meng Hao had become one of the pivotal fights in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

At the same time, other Dao Realm experts from the 1st Heaven were fighting the Patriarchs of the various sects and clans of the Mountain and Sea Realm. Fierce fighting was unfolding everywhere, and the battlefields stretched without limit. Furthermore, Outsider Chosen had also joined the fighting, vicious grins on their faces as they fought, with seemingly no one capable of resisting them.

But then the Chosen from the various sects and clans of the Mountain and Sea Realm joined the fray to fight back.

Massive booms echoed out, and the Mountains and Seas all shook.

In the First Mountain and Sea, Dao Realm battles were being fought like everywhere else. At the same time, Outsiders and Mountain and Sea cultivators of various cultivation Realms were all engaged in bitter combat. On one battlefield was an Outsider cultivator in a black robe. His skin was covered in black scales, with one white scale visible on his forehead. He had an Ancient Realm cultivation base, and yet his battle prowess put him even higher than that.

"Paragon Immortal Realm? They can't even stand up to a single blow. If we had known this, we wouldn't have needed to rely on all 33 Heavens. Our 1st Heaven alone would have been enough to dominate them. And now, the third among the seven bloodlines of the Drakewyrm Tribe, the most powerful bloodline from Drakemount, will definitely accumulate the most kills in this battle!" No matter where this Outsider Chosen went on the battlefield, no one was capable of fighting back against him, causing his arrogant sneer to widen. However, it was at this point that a white beam of light shot toward him from off in the distance.

"You sure can talk big!" shouted a voice from within the beam of light. A cold snort echoed out as a white-robed young man became visible. It was none other than the Echelon cultivator from the First Mountain, Dao-Heaven. As he neared, he unleashed an explosive attack, causing the Outsider Chosen's face to flicker and then turn very serious.

On the Second, Third, and Fourth Mountains... in fact, in all of the Mountain and Sea Realm, similar scenes were playing out.

In the Fourth Mountain, the shockwaves blasting out from the battle between Ksitigarbha and the Outsider Imperial Lord filled a wide area. However, there were still Outsiders pouring in to fight with the cultivators of the Fourth Mountain.

Among the army of cultivators from the Fourth Mountain and Sea was a woman who stood there calmly, surrounded by a host of guards, fellow cultivators tasked with protecting her. She was not spectacularly beautiful, but rather, was cold and cheerless. However, starlight sparkled in her eyes as she constantly sent orders out to the forces on all of the fronts of battle in the Fourth Mountain and Sea. She was singlehandedly coordinating the entire war effort, drawing upon the power of the Fourth Mountain and Sea to its very limit.

This woman who was in charge of all the strategy and tactics was none other than... Xu Qing!

Not only did Ksitigarbha have a profound cultivation base, he was also an amazing teacher. After taking Xu Qing in as his apprentice, he had instructed her well, and her cultivation base had advanced by leaps and bounds. Furthermore, she had also revealed unusual talent in strategy and tactics.

In the Seventh Mountain, most of the cultivators had followed the orders of Lord White to invade the Eighth Mountain and Sea. However, some people had chosen not to fight, and among them was the Echelon cultivator Yuwen Jian!

Currently, Yuwen Jian was roaring as he fought madly against the Outsider Chosen who had invaded the Seventh Mountain.

In the Ninth Mountain and Sea, the Fang Clan, the Li Clan, and various other great sects and clans had all mobilized and joined the fighting. Sun Hai and Fang Yu, along with all the other famous Chosen, were all soaked in blood as they fought fierce battles.

As of now, the power of these Chosen was the most spectacular thing in the Mountain and Sea Realm, next to those of the Dao Realm.

Meng Hao's father was the Clan Chief of the Fang Clan, and yet could not leave Planet South Heaven. However, the planet's spell formation was in full operation, and any Outsiders who dared encroach upon the area were destroyed.

The war was not going as badly as many people had predicted it would for the Mountain and Sea Realm. In this explosive early onslaught, things were not going smoothly for the 1st Heaven. The power with which the Mountain and Sea Realm was fighting back left the Outsiders completely shocked.

However, any optimism was temporary at best. After all... there were 33 Heavens, and this was merely the power of the 1st Heaven. Of course, the 1st Heaven was among the more powerful of the various 33 Heavens. When you added together all of the Paragons in the 33 Heavens, there were only five. Even still, that made the 33 Heavens shockingly powerful.

Most importantly, although there were only five Paragons, when it came to Dao Realm and Ancient Realm cultivators, the 33 Heavens completely outnumbered the Mountain and Sea Realm by several times, making them far more powerful.

However, the reserves available to the Mountain and Sea Realm were not limited to what could be seen at the moment. After all, the will of the Mountains and Seas, as well as Paragon Sea Dream, had been well aware all along... that the war with the 33 Heavens... was unavoidable!

How could they possibly not make advanced preparations!?

As the fighting broke out, powerful ripples began to spread out from the Three Great Daoist Societies of the Nine Mountains and Seas as they began to build up power!

In addition to all of that, among the 33 Heavens, there was a Realm which was both guarded against and also viewed with importance... the 34th Heaven... the Windswept Realm!

After slipping away from the Mountain and Sea Realm, and thus being freed from the sealing and restrictions there, the Windswept Imperial Lord, the same one who had fought Sea Dream years ago, most definitely would have had the chance... to become a Paragon!

Even as all of these other events were playing out, in the First, Third, and Fifth Mountains, there were three areas which were somewhat set apart from all of the fighting going on around them. Three ancient temples floated in the starry sky. Each one of those temples had a signboard above its main gate, upon which words could be seen, written in calligraphy as bold as dancing dragons and phoenixes.

Sublime Spirit Temple!

Dao Divinity Temple!

Heaven Severing Temple!

Within each of the three temples sat an old man and a young man!

The old men looked like statues, and the young men looked like Chosen!

Within those three temples, the three seemingly young men all began to kowtow to the old men, and then speak.

"The Mountains and Seas are in chaos. Please, begin the fighting!"

"Master, as a first generation Echelon cultivator, I have been sealed until this moment. Master, please remove the seals and allow me to fight!"

"Our Heaven Severing branch exists for the express purpose of fighting this war. Doyen, please remove the seals for me!"

The three old men did not respond. It was as if they... were awaiting further orders.

Within the Ninth Mountain and Sea, on Planet South Heaven, the Li Clan spell formation sent powerful ripples out in all directions. At the same time, on the peak of a distant mountain, an old man in a white robe stood there silently, looking up into the sky at the enormous land mass that was the 1st Heaven. A strange light flickered in his eyes.

"And thus the war begins..." he murmured. That old man was none other than Shui Dongliu.

Rumbling sounds echoed out through the Eighth Mountain and Sea as Meng Hao shot along like lightning. The Lightning Cauldron floated above his head, dancing with electricity as he suddenly switched positions with an Outsider.

Behind him was the enraged golden-armored Outsider Dao Sovereign, whose eyes were bright red. Normally speaking, he would be fast enough to be able to catch up with Meng Hao. However, Meng Hao was using Form Displacement Transposition. Even the powerful ripples which blasted out through the starry sky, throwing everything into chaos, did not affect him at all.

Actually... a chaotic battlefield was the perfect place for Meng Hao to slip along like a ghost!

Wherever he went, there were living things that he could switch places with, leaving the pursuing golden-armored Outsider completely befuddled.

Meng Hao was scheming as always. He actually could have gotten further away from the golden-armored Outsider Dao Sovereign, but instead, he kept within a fairly set distance. That ensured that the chase continued, and the Outsider didn't divert his attention to other places on the battlefield.

"Can you do anything other than run away!? Well, we'll see how long you can keep it up!" The Outsider Dao Sovereign's black flame lizard suddenly roared, dispersing into a sea of flames that swept forward at incredible speed.

Within that sea of flames were innumerable magical symbols, whose flickering caused the flames to increase their speed dramatically. Meng Hao quickly teleported away, just barely avoiding the searing heat of the flames.

An unsightly expression appeared on his face. The battle prowess of a Dao Sovereign helped him to see how lacking he was in certain areas.

"What a pity. If I could make a breakthrough with my fleshly body, then my battle prowess would definitely be enough to fight a Dao Sovereign, even if I haven't extinguished any more Soul Lamps." Meng Hao teleported again, and a cold laugh rang out from within the flames. Suddenly, the Outsider Dao Sovereign appeared in the flames, his body rapidly growing until he was 3,000 meters tall, a giant looming up into the starry sky.

He stamped his foot down into the flames, and a black lightning bolt appeared in his hands. Scales once again spread out across his body, and his tail grew longer. Two horns protruded from the top of his head, and the void around him twisted as intense pressure radiated out.

"You killed my Tribal Brother, and now, I'll destroy you in body and spirit!" The golden-armored Dao Sovereign roared and took a step forward, unleashing some unknown divine ability upon Meng Hao.

Meng Hao fell back, and rumbling sounds echoed out as the two of them shot through the starry sky of the Eighth Mountain and Sea.

"I could lose this guy if I really wanted to. But then he would just start fighting somewhere else..." Frowning, Meng Hao sighed inwardly. "I might not be able to kill him, but... I could trap him, or seal him. And that wouldn't be impossible, especially in the right place, at the right time...

"We're in the Eighth Mountain and Sea, which is also the location of the Heavengod Alliance..." Meng Hao's eyes flickered as he suddenly thought of the perfect place!


	36. Chapter 37

p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;"Chapter 1320: Returning to the 33 Hells!/span/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The 33 Hells!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The place Meng Hao planned to go was none other than... the 33 Hells!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"After the 1st Heaven descended and the Mountain and Sea Realm exploded into war, he came to the realization that the Paragon's blood in his Dao Fruit was boiling. That also gave him the sensation that his cultivation base, his enlightenment, his everything... was on the verge of advancing by leaps and bounds!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Actually, that feeling wasn't limited to just him. All of the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm felt the same thing. It was as if... the arrival of war prompted the Mountain and Sea Realm... to unleash years of reserves which had been built up for the purpose of empowering its people./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"However, that also caused Meng Hao's heart to sink. He well knew that the fact the Mountain and Sea Realm was doing this meant... this war would be extremely difficult./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Live for the Mountains and Seas, die for the Mountains and Seas!" Meng Hao's eyes flickered with determination. He had no idea what the future would bring, nor what his life would be like later on./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Even more of an unknown was what would happen to his family and friends throughout the course of the war. Would they survive...?/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"He was not a person who fundamentally liked fighting and killing. He just wanted to have plenty of money and be able to live a peaceful and wonderful life with his family and beloved partner./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"It was a simple dream, but to make it into a reality was no simple thing./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Meng Hao understood himself, and knew the truth... He was not some wildly ambitious person. His ideals were not far-reaching, nor did he have aspirations to shake Heaven and Earth./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"His Dao and his heart were both focused on freedom and independence, on avoiding being constrained or held back./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"He held no unquenchable thirst to constantly acquire a stronger cultivation base. In fact, if he had anything that could count as a true obsession, it would be his simple desire to be rich./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"In this life, he had simply gone with the flow and found his own type of happiness. He loved conning people, and he loved collecting promissory notes... To him, that was happiness. But when the 1st Heaven descended, all of those beautiful ideals were swept out of sight because of the Outsiders. When Meng Hao saw the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm fighting and dying, his heart grew dark and quiet./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The pain he was experiencing made all of his dreams seem like childish fantasies. It was as if he had awoken, or perhaps... grown up./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""If the Mountains and Seas did not exist, then what would be the point of my own, solitary, existence...?" Determination flickered within Meng Hao's eyes. It was a sudden and intense determination and hope that his cultivation base could become even more powerful./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"It was not because he wanted to become rich, nor because of his simplistic ideals. Instead, it was because... of his home!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The Mountain and Sea Realm was his home.../p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"His home had been invaded, and his people were already fighting and soaked in blood. He was the future Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, and the successor of Paragon Nine Seals. He... had to get stronger!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""I can't even kill an Outsider Dao Sovereign..." he thought, eyes glowing coldly. Without a moment's hesitation, he shot as fast as possible into the Heavengod Alliance./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"His divine sense had been suppressed, making it impossible to send it ahead to scan his destination. However, that did nothing to prevent him from unleashing lightning-like speed./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE.../p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"He became a scintillating beam of light that shot along, followed close behind by a sea of flames. The 3,000-meter tall Outsider strode along, pursuing him relentlessly. Considering his status and battle prowess, to be unable to kill Meng Hao was a complete humiliation./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"That was especially the case considering he had personally witnessed Meng Hao cut down his Junior Tribal Brother. Because of that, his hatred soared to the Heavens./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"They shot along, piercing through the starry sky, shattering the void. Wherever they passed, shocked Outsiders and Mountain and Sea cultivators alike got out of the way and didn't dare to approach./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Booms rang out as the 3,000-meter-tall giant unleashed magical techniques that were bizarre, completely different from the type seen in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Occasionally, he would transform into a beast which lunged at Meng Hao, gobbling up everything in its path, or slashing at him with razor claws that seemed to appear out of thin air./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Most shocking of all was his long tail, which he swept around in a completely domineering fashion. It shattered the starry sky, sending shockwaves out that left Meng Hao completely shaken./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Blood oozed out of the corners of Meng Hao's mouth, but he managed to nimbly avoid the blows. Even still, he could feel his cultivation base growing unstable./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"More than ever, he could sense... the slight gap that existed between himself and the Dao Sovereign level, a gap that could prove fatal...however small it might be!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Drakewyrm Earthfire; Heavens Forget!" Seeing that the numerous attacks he had unleashed were incapable of even touching Meng Hao, the 3,000 meter tall Outsider's eyes flashed with red light as he roared, performing a double-handed incantation gesture that instantly caused the roaring sea of flames beneath his feet to rise up and transform into the form of an enormous Earthfire lizard, which opened its mouth and spat a column of flames out toward Meng Hao./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The flames moved with indescribable speed, instantly surging over Meng Hao. Even as blood sprayed out of his mouth, the meat jelly appeared./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"It let loose a torrent of curses as it transformed into a defensive barrier that protected Meng Hao from the scorching flames. Although it hovered on the verge of melting, it managed to hold out until the end of the attack. Afterward, Meng Hao guiltily sent the meat jelly back into his bag of holding, then gritted his teeth and continued on./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" the Outsider raged. Unwilling to give up, he continued to chase Meng Hao./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"With enraged shouts echoing behind him the entire time, Meng Hao eventually reached the territory that had once been the Heavengod Alliance. After speeding along, he soon reached the location of the entrance to the 33 Hells./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"It was a pitch black region that seemed capable of consuming anything and everything, a region which emanated an aura of rot that caused the Outsider Dao Sovereign's eyes to flicker./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""This aura..." he thought, heart trembling./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Meng Hao didn't hesitate for a moment before charging in. Although the 33 Hells hadn't actually opened, as soon as he entered the area, Greed's life force Essence stirred into action and began to spread out./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Instantly, powerful ripples sprang up in the void, distorting everything, as if the opening were just about to begin. Meng Hao suddenly stopped in place, then turned around with cold eyes to look at the Outsider Dao Sovereign outside of the region of pitch black./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""You've been chasing me for long enough. If you want to fight, well then... let's fight here!" Meng Hao's voice echoed out, filled with deadly antagonism. Then he wiped the blood from his mouth, and the murderous gleam in his eyes grew even more intense./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The 3,000-meter tall Outsider looked on with flickering eyes, then snorted coldly. The aura in this area was bizarre, but considering the level of his cultivation base, he didn't hesitate to step in and charge toward Meng Hao./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Meng Hao reached out with his right hand, and Demon Weapon Lonelytomb appeared. Without any hesitation, abandoning all thoughts of fleeing, he charged forth and began to fight the 3,000-meter giant./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Booms rang out as they exchanged thousands of blows in the blink of an eye. Meng Hao summoned numerous mountains, the Blood Demon, his mastiff, and the Paragon Bridge./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Demon Weapon Lonelytomb screamed as it stabbed through the air, and Meng Hao unleashed his three fist strikes, each one more dreadful than the last./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The Outsider also performed incantation gestures. Its scales lifted up, and a windstorm sprang into being. Essence power exploded out, transforming into incredible pressure. The black flames surged, forming into a black flame lizard that roared as it tried to consume Meng Hao./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Rumbling echoed out, and blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth as he was battered backward relentlessly. As for the Outsider Dao Sovereign, his face flickered as Demon Weapon Lonelytomb stabbed a bloody gash into his chest./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Although his wounds healed rapidly, Meng Hao, despite being injured more severely, was actually healing even faster. Meng Hao's eyes flickered with starlight as he transformed into a meteor which shot dazzlingly through the starry sky. As he closed in, the Outsider performed a double-handed incantation gesture, then waved his hands, causing the black flame lizard to butt out with its head./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"A boom could be heard as the meteor shattered. However, even as that happened, Meng Hao in azure roc-form shot out like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the lizard and appearing directly in front of the Outsider Dao Sovereign./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The Outsider's face flickered, and just when he was about to fall back, azure-colored talons slashed out with the strength to shatter metal and stone./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Looking to die?!" the Outsider Dao Sovereign said, eyes gleaming with ferocity. He allowed Meng Hao's roc claws to dig out his right eye, ignoring the resulting pain as his own right hand shot out to grab viciously onto the roc./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"A boom rang out as the azure roc was crushed. However, no blood and flesh exploded out, only countless motes of light. Meanwhile, a figure was speeding off into the distance./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""DIE!" screamed the Outsider as Meng Hao fled. A blood-colored light rose up from the Outsider as a boundless aura of death converged upon it. Astonishingly, this was Death Curse Magic!/p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"A boom could be heard as a sealing symbol appeared in front of Meng Hao. Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth as he was forced back. He uncontrollably coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood as his chest began to rot and his life force faded. A powerful aura of death began to consume him./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""You took my eye and killed my Junior Tribal Brother. Don't worry, after I kill you, I'll refine your blood to find everyone related to you, and kill them all!" The 3,000-meter Outsider flickered into motion, lifting his right hand up to transform the sea of flames into a huge statue which struck out toward Meng Hao with its palm./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"That palm caused the aura of death that permeated the area to roil and emit rumbling noises, the starry sky to tremble, and the Heavens to fade./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"However, it was at this point that Meng Hao's mouth twisted into a derisive smile. The Outsider suddenly felt a profoundly uneasy feeling spring up in its heart, but before it could do anything, a gigantic rift suddenly appeared in the void beneath Meng Hao's feet./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"As soon as that rift appeared, Meng Hao shot inside./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The 3,000 meter giant shivered as a sensation of deadly crisis rose up in its heart. That sensation came from within the rift itself, wherein in the Outsider could sense... the fluctuations of a shocking aura./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"He had the premonition that if he entered that rift, he would be facing some deadly situation. Without any hesitation, he turned to leave./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"However, even as he did, Meng Hao reached out with his right hand, unleashing the Star Plucking Magic. Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Outsider Dao Sovereign was viciously dragged backward./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"The Outsider's eyes burned with rage, and he unleashed all the cultivation base power he could muster to break free. Even as he fell back, breaking away from Meng Hao's Star Plucking Magic, Meng Hao's derisive smile grew wider./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;""Form Displacement Transposition!" he said softly./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 11px; font-family: 'open sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; background-color: #e8e8e8;"Rumbling could be heard as he and the Outsider Dao Sovereign switched places. The Outsider was still moving backward, but now, he was moving backward into the rift. Although his face fell and he stopped almost immediately, he was still some distance away from the exit!/p 


	37. Chapter 38

Chapter 1320: Returning to the 33 Hells!

The 33 Hells!

The place Meng Hao planned to go was none other than... the 33 Hells!

After the 1st Heaven descended and the Mountain and Sea Realm exploded into war, he came to the realization that the Paragon's blood in his Dao Fruit was boiling. That also gave him the sensation that his cultivation base, his enlightenment, his everything... was on the verge of advancing by leaps and bounds!

Actually, that feeling wasn't limited to just him. All of the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm felt the same thing. It was as if... the arrival of war prompted the Mountain and Sea Realm... to unleash years of reserves which had been built up for the purpose of empowering its people.

However, that also caused Meng Hao's heart to sink. He well knew that the fact the Mountain and Sea Realm was doing this meant... this war would be extremely difficult.

"Live for the Mountains and Seas, die for the Mountains and Seas!" Meng Hao's eyes flickered with determination. He had no idea what the future would bring, nor what his life would be like later on.

Even more of an unknown was what would happen to his family and friends throughout the course of the war. Would they survive...?

He was not a person who fundamentally liked fighting and killing. He just wanted to have plenty of money and be able to live a peaceful and wonderful life with his family and beloved partner.

It was a simple dream, but to make it into a reality was no simple thing.

Meng Hao understood himself, and knew the truth... He was not some wildly ambitious person. His ideals were not far-reaching, nor did he have aspirations to shake Heaven and Earth.

His Dao and his heart were both focused on freedom and independence, on avoiding being constrained or held back.

He held no unquenchable thirst to constantly acquire a stronger cultivation base. In fact, if he had anything that could count as a true obsession, it would be his simple desire to be rich.

In this life, he had simply gone with the flow and found his own type of happiness. He loved conning people, and he loved collecting promissory notes... To him, that was happiness. But when the 1st Heaven descended, all of those beautiful ideals were swept out of sight because of the Outsiders. When Meng Hao saw the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm fighting and dying, his heart grew dark and quiet.

The pain he was experiencing made all of his dreams seem like childish fantasies. It was as if he had awoken, or perhaps... grown up.

"If the Mountains and Seas did not exist, then what would be the point of my own, solitary, existence...?" Determination flickered within Meng Hao's eyes. It was a sudden and intense determination and hope that his cultivation base could become even more powerful.

It was not because he wanted to become rich, nor because of his simplistic ideals. Instead, it was because... of his home!

The Mountain and Sea Realm was his home...

His home had been invaded, and his people were already fighting and soaked in blood. He was the future Lord of the Mountain and Sea Realm, the Ninth Generation Demon Sealer, and the successor of Paragon Nine Seals. He... had to get stronger!

"I can't even kill an Outsider Dao Sovereign..." he thought, eyes glowing coldly. Without a moment's hesitation, he shot as fast as possible into the Heavengod Alliance.

His divine sense had been suppressed, making it impossible to send it ahead to scan his destination. However, that did nothing to prevent him from unleashing lightning-like speed.

RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLE...

He became a scintillating beam of light that shot along, followed close behind by a sea of flames. The 3,000-meter tall Outsider strode along, pursuing him relentlessly. Considering his status and battle prowess, to be unable to kill Meng Hao was a complete humiliation.

That was especially the case considering he had personally witnessed Meng Hao cut down his Junior Tribal Brother. Because of that, his hatred soared to the Heavens.

They shot along, piercing through the starry sky, shattering the void. Wherever they passed, shocked Outsiders and Mountain and Sea cultivators alike got out of the way and didn't dare to approach.

Booms rang out as the 3,000-meter-tall giant unleashed magical techniques that were bizarre, completely different from the type seen in the Mountain and Sea Realm. Occasionally, he would transform into a beast which lunged at Meng Hao, gobbling up everything in its path, or slashing at him with razor claws that seemed to appear out of thin air.

Most shocking of all was his long tail, which he swept around in a completely domineering fashion. It shattered the starry sky, sending shockwaves out that left Meng Hao completely shaken.

Blood oozed out of the corners of Meng Hao's mouth, but he managed to nimbly avoid the blows. Even still, he could feel his cultivation base growing unstable.

More than ever, he could sense... the slight gap that existed between himself and the Dao Sovereign level, a gap that could prove fatal...however small it might be!

"Drakewyrm Earthfire; Heavens Forget!" Seeing that the numerous attacks he had unleashed were incapable of even touching Meng Hao, the 3,000 meter tall Outsider's eyes flashed with red light as he roared, performing a double-handed incantation gesture that instantly caused the roaring sea of flames beneath his feet to rise up and transform into the form of an enormous Earthfire lizard, which opened its mouth and spat a column of flames out toward Meng Hao.

The flames moved with indescribable speed, instantly surging over Meng Hao. Even as blood sprayed out of his mouth, the meat jelly appeared.

It let loose a torrent of curses as it transformed into a defensive barrier that protected Meng Hao from the scorching flames. Although it hovered on the verge of melting, it managed to hold out until the end of the attack. Afterward, Meng Hao guiltily sent the meat jelly back into his bag of holding, then gritted his teeth and continued on.

"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" the Outsider raged. Unwilling to give up, he continued to chase Meng Hao.

With enraged shouts echoing behind him the entire time, Meng Hao eventually reached the territory that had once been the Heavengod Alliance. After speeding along, he soon reached the location of the entrance to the 33 Hells.

It was a pitch black region that seemed capable of consuming anything and everything, a region which emanated an aura of rot that caused the Outsider Dao Sovereign's eyes to flicker.

"This aura..." he thought, heart trembling.

Meng Hao didn't hesitate for a moment before charging in. Although the 33 Hells hadn't actually opened, as soon as he entered the area, Greed's life force Essence stirred into action and began to spread out.

Instantly, powerful ripples sprang up in the void, distorting everything, as if the opening were just about to begin. Meng Hao suddenly stopped in place, then turned around with cold eyes to look at the Outsider Dao Sovereign outside of the region of pitch black.

"You've been chasing me for long enough. If you want to fight, well then... let's fight here!" Meng Hao's voice echoed out, filled with deadly antagonism. Then he wiped the blood from his mouth, and the murderous gleam in his eyes grew even more intense.

The 3,000-meter tall Outsider looked on with flickering eyes, then snorted coldly. The aura in this area was bizarre, but considering the level of his cultivation base, he didn't hesitate to step in and charge toward Meng Hao.

Meng Hao reached out with his right hand, and Demon Weapon Lonelytomb appeared. Without any hesitation, abandoning all thoughts of fleeing, he charged forth and began to fight the 3,000-meter giant.

Booms rang out as they exchanged thousands of blows in the blink of an eye. Meng Hao summoned numerous mountains, the Blood Demon, his mastiff, and the Paragon Bridge.

Demon Weapon Lonelytomb screamed as it stabbed through the air, and Meng Hao unleashed his three fist strikes, each one more dreadful than the last.

The Outsider also performed incantation gestures. Its scales lifted up, and a windstorm sprang into being. Essence power exploded out, transforming into incredible pressure. The black flames surged, forming into a black flame lizard that roared as it tried to consume Meng Hao.

Rumbling echoed out, and blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth as he was battered backward relentlessly. As for the Outsider Dao Sovereign, his face flickered as Demon Weapon Lonelytomb stabbed a bloody gash into his chest.

Although his wounds healed rapidly, Meng Hao, despite being injured more severely, was actually healing even faster. Meng Hao's eyes flickered with starlight as he transformed into a meteor which shot dazzlingly through the starry sky. As he closed in, the Outsider performed a double-handed incantation gesture, then waved his hands, causing the black flame lizard to butt out with its head.

A boom could be heard as the meteor shattered. However, even as that happened, Meng Hao in azure roc-form shot out like a bolt of lightning, piercing through the lizard and appearing directly in front of the Outsider Dao Sovereign.

The Outsider's face flickered, and just when he was about to fall back, azure-colored talons slashed out with the strength to shatter metal and stone.

"Looking to die?!" the Outsider Dao Sovereign said, eyes gleaming with ferocity. He allowed Meng Hao's roc claws to dig out his right eye, ignoring the resulting pain as his own right hand shot out to grab viciously onto the roc.

A boom rang out as the azure roc was crushed. However, no blood and flesh exploded out, only countless motes of light. Meanwhile, a figure was speeding off into the distance.

"DIE!" screamed the Outsider as Meng Hao fled. A blood-colored light rose up from the Outsider as a boundless aura of death converged upon it. Astonishingly, this was Death Curse Magic!

A boom could be heard as a sealing symbol appeared in front of Meng Hao. Blood sprayed out of Meng Hao's mouth as he was forced back. He uncontrollably coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood as his chest began to rot and his life force faded. A powerful aura of death began to consume him.

"You took my eye and killed my Junior Tribal Brother. Don't worry, after I kill you, I'll refine your blood to find everyone related to you, and kill them all!" The 3,000-meter Outsider flickered into motion, lifting his right hand up to transform the sea of flames into a huge statue which struck out toward Meng Hao with its palm.

That palm caused the aura of death that permeated the area to roil and emit rumbling noises, the starry sky to tremble, and the Heavens to fade.

However, it was at this point that Meng Hao's mouth twisted into a derisive smile. The Outsider suddenly felt a profoundly uneasy feeling spring up in its heart, but before it could do anything, a gigantic rift suddenly appeared in the void beneath Meng Hao's feet.

As soon as that rift appeared, Meng Hao shot inside.

The 3,000 meter giant shivered as a sensation of deadly crisis rose up in its heart. That sensation came from within the rift itself, wherein in the Outsider could sense... the fluctuations of a shocking aura.

He had the premonition that if he entered that rift, he would be facing some deadly situation. Without any hesitation, he turned to leave.

However, even as he did, Meng Hao reached out with his right hand, unleashing the Star Plucking Magic. Rumbling sounds echoed out as the Outsider Dao Sovereign was viciously dragged backward.

The Outsider's eyes burned with rage, and he unleashed all the cultivation base power he could muster to break free. Even as he fell back, breaking away from Meng Hao's Star Plucking Magic, Meng Hao's derisive smile grew wider.

"Form Displacement Transposition!" he said softly.

Rumbling could be heard as he and the Outsider Dao Sovereign switched places. The Outsider was still moving backward, but now, he was moving backward into the rift. Although his face fell and he stopped almost immediately, he was still some distance away from the exit!


	38. Chapter 1

"YOU!" The Outsider Dao Sovereign's face fell immediately. He had no idea where he was, but he could sense that the aura of death in this place was indescribably powerful.

He could also tell that within the aura of death was a type of powerful sealing. And yet, even that wasn't the most frightening thing. Most frightening of all was that he could sense dozens of auras in this place that were terrifying even to him!

Each and every one of them was equivalent to a Paragon's!

Furthermore, those auras were filled with chaos, with greed, with a hunger for anything living, as if they were lying in wait for his qi, blood, and cultivation base.

Suddenly, he realized what this place was, and his heart was battered by waves of intense shock. "The 33 Hells!"

He knew what the 33 Hells were; a place where Paragon Nine Seals had sealed other Paragons long ago. In fact, the 33 Heavens had long since carried out detailed investigations regarding the 33 Hells, and had come to the conclusion that... to the cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm, it was a place where good fortune or great catastrophe were equally possible. However, to anyone not from the Mountain and Sea Realm, it was a place of certain death!

As of this moment, he felt as if he had become food to be devoured by these 33 Hells!

"NO!" he roared in rage. He shot forward in an attempt to fly out of the opening. But how could Meng Hao be willing to let him do so? He had set this entire situation up to trap this Outsider, and had gone to great lengths to lure him inside. How could he possibly let him emerge?

"With the exception of the successor of Paragon Nine Seals," said Meng Hao, "or someone else with his approval, no one can use this place to increase their cultivation base. This Outsider Dao Sovereign... is definitely going to die in there!" His eyes glittered as Greed's life force Essence exploded out within him. The 33 Hells suddenly trembled. A dense mist poured out, and the sound of clanking iron chains could be heard, along with angry roars.

Meng Hao waved his right hand, summoning the Paragon Bridge. As it crushed down, Greed's life force Essence exploded out. Not only did the mist within the rift grow thicker, but the ground at the base of the stone stele therein also split and cracked, and an enormous gravitational force sprang up.

The Outsider Dao Sovereign's face flickered with astonishment, and he let out a roar of fury. He was now shaking, going all out with every bit of power he could summon to try to escape. However, an iron chain whipped through the air, wrapping around him. Then, the mists churned, as if a giant were approaching, and simultaneously the Outsider was dragged in.

The shocking gravitational force pulled on the Outsider, making it impossible for him to flee. He stared with wide eyes as the rift slowly began to close. Madness flickered in his gaze, as well as a towering, venomous hatred.

"NO!"

Even as he roared, rumbling sounds echoed out as a blood-colored light sprang up. It was a shield that emanated the aura of a Paragon. With that protection, he was able to break free from the giant's iron chains and shoot up into the sky.

However, even as he neared the rift... it closed up!

RUMBLE!

The Outsider Dao Sovereign roared, and his eyes shone with fear as he looked back down into the mists below him. Apparently, the mists themselves weren't affected by the gravitational force. As he looked, he suddenly realized that a pair of greedy-looking eyes had appeared therein.

What caused him to tremble even more than before was that he could sense that after this world had been closed off from the outside... it was as if the entire place had awoken. A voice suddenly spoke out as if from far beneath the ground, accompanied by laughter that filled with hope and yearning.

"Flesh and blood... a soul... a cultivation base...

"If I consume him, I can extend my life for another 10,000 years...

"It's been a long, long time since I tasted a Dao Sovereign..."

Massive rumbling could be heard as the trembling Outsider Dao Sovereign roared, pouring all of the power he could, even his life force, into the blood-colored Paragon shield.

His eyes were bright red as he battered the Heavens he saw above him, hoping to break open an exit and flee before he was consumed.

Outside of the 33 Hells, Meng Hao's face was pale. He wiped the blood from his mouth, then flickered into motion. After leaving the 33 Hells, he looked back at the pitch black region, and his eyes flashed coldly.

"Hopefully the Outsider Dao Sovereign will be killed by this place and become nothing more than fertilizer for it. Then, when I come back later, I can absorb that power to help me to get stronger... If he isn't killed, at least he'll be trapped for a while." When he thought about the blood-colored shield the Outsider Dao Sovereign had used, and the intense aura it had emitted, it was clear that it was a protective item gifted by a Paragon.

"Even if he can figure out a way to escape, it won't happen any time soon. By that time, I should be prepared to cut down a Dao Sovereign in battle." Meng Hao's eyes glowed brightly as he turned away from the 33 Hells. Now that his divine sense was no longer being suppressed, he sent it out to fill the entire Eighth Mountain and Sea.

What he saw were cultivators of the Mountain and Sea Realm fighting fiercely with the Outsiders from the 1st Heaven. Because of the previous war between the Seventh and Eighth Mountains and Seas, the cultivators were familiar with battle, and had concentrated their attacks on two fronts.

Other than those two fronts, the other main battle was being fought... on the Eighth Mountain itself!

The Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea and one of the five incarnations of the Outsider Dao Sovereign were fighting back and forth, shaking the entire Eighth Mountain. As the ripples of magical techniques spread out, Meng Hao almost immediately caught sight of his Grandpa Meng beating back the Dao Sovereign clone over and over.

"Grandpa..." he thought, vanishing. When he reappeared, he was on a battlefield filled with cultivators from the Seventh Mountain and Sea, and Outsiders from the 1st Heaven. As soon as he appeared, his cultivation base surged, and his divine sense swept out. Fully half of the nearby Outsiders let out miserable screams as their heads exploded.

Meng Hao snorted coldly, then vanished again. This time, he appeared on a battlefield with cultivators of the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Again, his divine sense swept out, provoking miserable shrieks as one Outsider after another exploded.

Such a vast number of deaths instantly filled the Outsiders' hearts with shock and fear. However, Meng Hao didn't even pause. He vanished again, reappearing at the peak of the Eighth Mountain.

The moment he appeared, his grandfather was unleashing an attack backed by the power of the Mountains and Seas. The Outsider Dao Sovereign's clone coughed up some blood and fell back. However, Meng Hao appeared just behind him, eyes flickering with killing intent as he clenched his fist and punched out with the God-Slaying Fist.

Rumbling booms echoed out as the clone's face flickered. He had no time to evade, and the fist strike struck him directly on the back. Half of his body instantly shattered, and he let out a miserable shriek. He shot away from Meng Hao, his body healing, but his aura severely weakened.

When he turned back and saw Meng Hao, his face fell.

"If you're not dead, then what happened to Long Linzi?"

"Oh, so his name was Long Linzi?" Meng Hao replied coolly. He took a step forward, and as he did, the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, Meng Hao's grandfather, approached. After seeing it was Meng Hao, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his eyes shone with love and reminiscence.

Years had passed, but he had never imagined that his young grandson would grow up to be like this.

The Outsider Dao Sovereign's face fell again, and a gleam of disbelief flickered in his eyes. He was well aware of Long Linzi's true battle prowess, and although it was somewhat weaker than his own, he was now split into five parts. On the other hand, Long Linzi had attempted to kill this very same person without splitting himself apart. Therefore, Long Linzi had been able to use all of his battle prowess.

And yet, he had been defeated!

By this point he could sense that Long Linzi's aura had vanished. This caused the clone to gasp, and without the slightest bit of hesitation, he began to flee. Too many miscalculations had been made in this attack.

He had underestimated this Mountain and Sea Lord... In fact, his clones were suffering setbacks all over the Mountain and Sea Realm. Worst of all was this Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea, who had successively defeated him again and again.

As for the cultivator who had just appeared, the actual level of his cultivation base seemed low. However, he had defended himself against the attack of a Paragon, and not even Long Linzi had been a match for him. The Outsider Dao Sovereign clone could think of only one thing to do, and that was to flee.

"Did I say you could leave?" growled Grandpa Meng. He stamped down with his right foot, causing the starry sky around the Outsider Dao Sovereign to distort as a huge sealing mark appeared.

At the same time, Meng Hao extended his right hand, performed an incantation gesture and pointed out with his finger. It was the Eighth Demon Sealing Hex! Although Meng Hao had not been a match for Long Linzi, this was merely a Dao Sovereign's clone, and killing him would be as easy as flipping over his hand!

As soon as Meng Hao waved his finger, the clone stopped in place, a shocked look on his face. Simultaneously, Grandpa Meng looked over in surprise at Meng Hao and said, "Eee?"

Meng Hao waved his finger again.

It was the Seventh Demon Sealing Hex, Karmic Hexing!

Rumbling could be heard as blood sprayed from the Outsider's mouth. His Karma was thrown into chaos, prompting a miserable scream. Next was the Sixth Hex, which caused a gray sealing mark to appear on his forehead. Then a boom rang out as the mark shattered, disintegrating his head. However, he wasn't dead yet. He quickly recovered, but was even weaker than before.

After that came the Fifth Hex, the Inside-Outside Hex. Cracks spread out all over his body, and a bloodcurdling scream rang out as the clone collapsed into pieces.

Things weren't over yet, though. Even as he collapsed, Meng Hao unleashed... the Second Hex!

Real-Unreal Hexing!

Even as his collapsing body began to re-form, and he fled off into the distance, all of the shattered remnants of his body were transformed from being real... into something unreal!

A wretched shriek rang out in the moment before he died. Everything about him transformed into ash; this Outsider Dao Sovereign clone was absolutely no match for Meng Hao!

Meng Hao's battle prowess might not be on par with Ksitigarbha's, but he could still be considered a peak expert in the Mountain and Sea Realm!

"Well done!" Grandpa Meng said, laughed heartily. The love in his eyes was clear as he looked at Meng Hao .

Meng Hao turned excitedly, clasping hands and bowing as he said, "Hao'er offers greetings, Grandfather!"

Grandfather and grandson looked at each other, and their hearts filled with emotions and memories that would be difficult to describe without using many, many words. Eventually, Meng Hao asked about his Grandpa Fang.

After a moment of silence, Grandpa Meng sighed and said, "He... is not in the Mountain and Sea Realm.

"I complied with the instructions given by Senior Outsider, and successfully became the Lord of the Eighth Mountain and Sea. Unfortunately, I've been asleep ever since then. However, your Grandpa Fang is a born warrior, with latent talent exceeding even your father's. Senior Outsider took a liking to him, and gave him some very important responsibilities..."

After a moment of silence, Meng Hao looked at his grandfather and asked, "Who is this Outsider you refer to?"

Chapter 1321: Grandfather and Grandson Reunite!


End file.
